Never Come Back
by izrose17
Summary: Lightning was exiled from ThunderClan when she was very young. Seasons later, she has forgotten all about why she was exiled, and has taught herself to hunt and fight without a Clan's help. Will she return to the Clans to discover the truth? My very first fanfic! Now complete! Disclaimer: I do not own warriors or the Clans.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_My name is Lightning. When I was a very young, I was exiled from ThunderClan for doing something I couldn't even remember later. I had barely learned to hunt when I was cast out of the Clan, and everyone knew that I probably wouldn't make it on my own. I must have done something pretty horrible to get thrown out when I was that young and hopeless. _

_But I survived without the Clans. Hunting and fighting for myself, I grew up stronger than any Clan warrior. This is the story of how I returned to my old home to find the truth. _


	2. Chapter 1

_Sorry that the prologue was so short! Uploading first chapter right away! Will try to update weekly after this... no promises, though, I am very busy. Also, as it says in description, PLEASE REVIEW!_

_Anyway... hope you enjoy! _

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**Chapter One**

The leader's face looking down at me in anger. Friends and family and Clanmates on all sides, staring at me with disgust and hatred. They hissed and growled at me. The leader announced the fatal decision, that I was to be exiled. My limbs refused to move. Someone pushed me harshly towards the camp exit. "Never come back!" a voice growled into my ear. I ran as fast as I could, the words repeating themselves over and over again in my head.

_Never come back. _

I woke with a start, my amber eyes flying open. The same dream, the same words. _Never come back. _

And I hadn't.

It was just the start of green-leaf when they sent me away. Now new-leaf is beginning again. If I were still a Clan cat, I would be becoming a warrior soon. I wonder what my name would have been.

Upon leaving the Clans, I had stopped using the Clan names. I went by Lightning now. Back in the Clans, I had been Amberpaw. I'm a different cat then I was back then, though. I survived leaf-bare on my own. I lived someplace a half-day's journey from ThunderClan territory, if you were quick, sleeping in a small cave with a moss nest. I hunted in the woods and fields near my home, but there were other stray cats around, and monsters roaring along the Thunderpath that winded through the woods. It was dangerous to live here.

But there was nowhere better. And I was strong. I could survive here.

I had woken early this morning because of my dream. Even though I was exhausted, I knew there was no way I was going back to sleep. I got to my feet and stretched, shaking moss out of my fur. I emerged from my little cave into the starlight and looked up at the sky.

It was dark, because it was a new moon tonight. But stars lit up the sky. The air was cold, but warmer than it had been at this time of morning recently. Newleaf was on its way.

I remember the stories they told in the Clans about StarClan. I wondered if cats outside of the Clans went to StarClan when they died. I wondered if I would.

My black fur and white paws blended in well with the night. I stalked among the trees to hunt. I didn't have much to fear. There were other cats, sure, but over the time I had been here, I had become more of a danger to them than they were to me. Any cat who recognized me would most likely stay away. And if any cat did try to attack me, they would end up regretting it.

I headed back to my den with two plump mice – a lucky find this early in newleaf. By the time I had caught the second one, cold sunlight was shining down on the woods.

However, when I entered my den, I was in for a surprise. A grey tabby cat was asleep in _my _nest! I dropped the mice immediately and growled.

The cat had not been sleeping very deeply and promptly jolted awake. "Wha…?"

"Why are you in my den?" I hissed.

"I… I was lost… I needed somewhere to sleep… I'll leave if you want – " he stammered.

"Yes, I think that would be the best for both of us," I said. "But maybe I should teach you a lesson first. So you never come back."

The moment the young tom's green eyes widened in fear, I realized what I was doing. Was I really going to attack this defenseless cat that clearly couldn't defend himself? His fur had the sleekness and glossiness kittypet's, and around his neck was a tattered black collar. Besides, he looked way too well-fed to be stray, especially at this time of the season, when prey was scarce.

He cowered at the back of the cave now, too scared to even speak. I sat down and sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you. These moons I have spent in the woods have changed me."

He relaxed, but only a little.

"Uh, my name's Lightning. Sorry I threatened you."

Finally, he cleared his throat. "I'm Pete. Did… you use to live with Upwalkers too?"

I laughed. "No. I lived with a Clan of cats in a forest, not too far from here."

Pete looked slightly confused, but he didn't ask more.

"How'd you wind up out here?"

"The Upwalkers I lived with… just packed up all their stuff and left me in their dwelling. I waited for them several days, but they didn't come back. I had to go find food… but I got lost. And wound up here. I found this place, and it looked safe, and your nest looked so comfy…"

"You still haven't had anything to eat?"

"No."

I looked down at my feet and the two mice. It was more than enough to share…

"Okay, here. Have this mouse." I nudged it across the cave towards him.

Pete sniffed it and licked his lips, but he said, "I couldn't. You caught it."

"Fine. I'd be happy to eat it myself. You have until I finish this one to decide if you really want it. I'll warn you, I'm a fast eater."

I was halfway through my mouse when Pete reluctantly took a bite out of the other one. And then another. And another. Until he was scarfing it down quicker and quicker.

I licked my lips when I finished, then sat down and stretched. I had spent the morning hunting, and by now it was already mid-afternoon.

"So, Lightning," Pete said. He had become completely relaxed by now and was now sitting across from me. It felt strange. I hadn't talked with another cat like this, face to face, since… well, since I left the Clans. "I told you how I ended up here. What about _you_?"

I winced at this. I couldn't tell him the story. I barely knew it myself. I had let myself forget the details. They lingered at the edge of memory, so within reach that I knew if I tried to remember everything I could. But I chose to let everything slide away. I chose to forget.

"I… did something horrible. In my Clan. They sent me away. I found my way here."

"Wow, thanks for being descriptive," Pete joked. "Come on, you can't trust me enough to tell me a _little_ more?"

"I was very young," I said. "Six moons. I didn't even know how to hunt. Now I'm strong, and no cat in these woods messes with me."

Pete was silent for a moment. "They kicked you out when you were that young? When you couldn't even hunt?"

I nodded.

"What did you do?" Pete said. Fear had crept back into his voice.

"I don't remember," I said.

"You don't?"

"No… it's more that I choose to forget."

Pete looked away. "You don't seem like a horrible cat. I think you're kind of nice. And pretty."

I turned to him in surprise.

He looked at his paws bashfully. "And… I'm sure they would take you back now. If it's been so long…"

"You don't get it. When you're exiled from your Clan, it means forever. It means you never show your face there again. You never come back."

"But don't you ever wonder?"

His words stopped me short. Do I? Yes, I do. I wonder what would happen if I returned. Who would remember me. Who would remember what I did. Who was still there. Who had changed.

We talked until the sun fell behind the distant mountains. I made him a moss nest of his own for the night. I let him stay until the morning, but then I had to let him leave. I couldn't feed us both.

Still, as I watched him go the next morning, his words echoed in my mind.

_Don't you ever wonder? _


	3. Chapter 2

_First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last two chapters: Dominoesrule, Evanna23, BartlebyTheCat, and Awesome! Thanks so much for your feedback! A special note to Evanna 23: I truly appreciate your advice. This chapter was written before I received your review, but the next chapter has been written with your advice in mind. Please keep reviewing, and I sure hope you guys like this chapter as much as the last one! :) Once again, I will try to update weekly. Keep reading! -Izrose_

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Grey tabby fur flashes as Pete tackles me. "I thought Lightning was supposed to be quick," he laughs. I get to my feet and smile at him. Stars dance in his fur and shine in his faded green eyes, and I know this is a dream. It's been many seasons since I met Pete, and I haven't seen him since.

"I'm a lot quicker than you!" I tackled him to the ground then, holding him down and growling playfully, "See? Bet you can't get up now."

Pete just smiled and remained there, pinned on his back. "Oh, don't you ever wonder, Lightning?"

That was when the dream seemed to dissolve around me, and I woke in my den. Leaf-fall chill had crept into the den overnight. I had forgotten all about Pete and the night I met him.

The night I told him my story, or what was left of it.

By now I had forgotten that too. The memory was no longer within reach, it was beyond reach. I couldn't remember why I had been exiled if I tried. But I had been thinking about that. Almost every day, recently.

Once again, Pete's words echoed in my mind.

_Don't you ever wonder, Lightning?_

I do wonder.

But do I really want to know?

And in that moment, with Pete's voice still in my head, I made my decision.

I leapt out of my den and bounded towards the woods as fast as I could. I crashed through the undergrowth, making plenty of noise, and not caring. I had to pause for breath before long – I only ran this fast to chase rabbits, and that wasn't very long. I continued to race along, tearing at the ground with my claws with every bound, until I reached the edge of the now-familiar woods.

And found the edge of the now-unfamiliar forest.

Beyond those trees was ThunderClan territory. I knew I had to go there, but I didn't know how, or when, or what I would do when I got there. I couldn't just barge into ThunderClan territory without a plan.

I'd have to find a place nearby to spend the night and think this through. After some sniffing around, I found hollow log covered in moss that would be suitable. After munching on a nice squirrel, I sat atop the log to think this over.

I could, very well, just march in and see what happened. If they recognized me, or even remembered me, or still wanted me away from them. But then what? They'd drive me off, and I would be right where I was. How could I possibly figure out the truth without them knowing who I was?

But wait. It has been countless seasons since I left the Clans. How many of them would remember me? I've changed, they've forgotten. I bet, if I went there pretending to be a loner wanting to join the Clan, none of them would suspect a thing.

I decided on that idea just as the sun set. I fell quickly into a dreamless sleep, and woke just as the sun was rising the next morning.

It was time. No use prolonging it. I decided against eating beforehand because, assuming everything went smoothly, I might be able to eat at the ThunderClan camp.

I surprised myself by realizing that I was nervous. I wasn't even really sure why. However, I shook it off and padded away from the hollow log I had rested in, headed for the ThunderClan border.

I didn't hesitate when I reached it. I walked across it, meaning to wander around in the territory looking for a patrol. But before long, a patrol found me.

"Hey! Intruder!" someone shouted. A huge mass of brown fur crashed into me. My instincts took over, and I hooked my claws into my attacker's fur and threw him off of me. Before he could get back on his feet, I was on him, pinning him on his back.

However, before I could do anything else, a reddish tom walked up. "What's this, Thunderfang? An intruding she-cat managed to get the best of you? Well, won't Cloudfall and the others at camp enjoy _this_ story!"

The tom did not seem panicked at all. I was slightly surprised before I realized why. If I had meant to cause any damage, I would have been scratching and clawing at this cat, Thunderfang.

"Oh, let him up, will you? I think you've made your point. He's not going to try to attack you again."

I obediently stepped away from Thunderfang. He got to his paws again, unharmed, although it was clear that his pride was hurt. I was, after all, not even a trained Clan cat. He must not be used to being defeated so quickly.

"Ashpaw, go ahead and come out here," the tom said. A young grey cat, who must have been an apprentice, stepped out of the bushes. "Now," the tom said, turning to me, "care to tell me who you are and why you're here?"

I cleared my throat. "I'm Lightning. I'm what you would call a loner, and I have been living in some woods about a half-day's journey from here on my own. But I'm tired of being by myself. I heard about the greatness of the Clans and I wanted to come and see if I could be a part of them."

I had come up with this little speech on my way here. It wasn't entirely a lie, just the "tired of being by myself part". And how I "forgot" to mention where I was before I lived in the woods.

The tom sat down, flicking his tail, as he seemed to think this through. "Well, it's not my place to make such decisions. We'll take you back to camp and let Settingstar decide. I'm Coppersun, by the way, and this is my apprentice Ashpaw. And that's Thunderfang. Follow us."

I obediently followed the two warriors through the forest. Ashpaw walked hesitantly alongside me. "I've never seen any warrior beat Thunderfang like that. He's the strongest warrior in the Clan."

"Well, I'm no warrior," I said. "I've been hunting and defending myself since I was your age. I didn't have anyone to help me or train me. I _have_ to be strong."

Ashpaw seemed impressed. "I can't imagine living without a Clan," he said quietly.

_I can't imagine living with one. _

Before long, we reached the camp and entered it through a tunnel of brambles. Even before we had caught sight of it, I could smell the scents of cats, and the strange reek of ThunderClan. Now that we were inside it, I could see all the cats. Of every color, every size, more cats than I could remember ever seeing.

We headed towards the center of camp, where the leader's den was. I ducked under the hanging lichen on the entrance. A crimson tom was inside, conversing with another tom, this one black-and-white. They both looked up at us in surprise.

"Oh, hello, Thunderfang, Coppersun. Who is this?"

"Lightning," I said before they could speak.

"She says she's a loner and she wants to join the Clan," said Thunderfang.

"She also pinned Thunderfang to the ground when he attacked her before you could say 'StarClan'," Coppersun added.

The black-and-white tom narrowed his eyes at me. He had brilliant blue eyes, as unusual as his coloring.

The copper tom, who I assumed to be Settingstar, spoke again, "Oh, really? I have a hard time believing that."

"I would too, if I hadn't seen it," replied Coppersun.

The black-and-white tom scoffed. "That scrawny she-cat couldn't have pinned Thunderfang. There's no way – "

He was pinned on his belly, his face smashed into the den floor, before he even finished his sentence.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying? 'There's no way…'" I taunted in his ear.

He growled and struggled to get up, to no avail. Settingstar chuckled and said, "Lightning, go ahead and let him up. He believes you now."

"Hey, I wasn't ready. And I'm no Thunderfang, either. That proves nothing."

I hissed and crouched, ready to spring again, but Coppersun stepped between us. "That's enough. We can't have you two getting hurt." He turned to Settingstar. "Settingstar, as you can see, she's already very skilled in fighting, and she's been hunting for herself for a long time. We need as many warriors as we can get right now."

Settingstar nodded. "Very well. Lightning, I am willing to make you a warrior of ThunderClan. But you still need to learn about the ways of the Clans. I'm going to find a warrior to teach you about the warrior code. Once they say you have learned it, I will name you a warrior of ThunderClan."

I nodded. "Thank you," I said. "I truly appreciate it." But even as I smiled at the red-gold tom, I was resisting the urge to rush at him and dig my claws into his fur. Because this was the same tom that had looked down at me from Highrock and sent me away from ThunderClan.


	4. Chapter 3

_Okay, sorry for the one day late update. I was a little busy yesterday. _

_Also, big thank-you to everyone who reviewed! I'm not going to mention you individually again, but I truly appreciate the feedback. _

_I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. In the next few chapters the story will be getting a bit more exciting. _

_-Izrose_

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**Chapter Three**

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting." Settingstar's call rang out just as it had that fateful day seasons ago.

Before long, every cat in the Clan was gathered beneath the Highrock. I stood awkwardly underneath, not knowing whether to look up at Settingstar or out at the Clan. I decided to watch the leader. Hopefully he would give me a cue if I was doing something wrong.

"This is Lightning. She is a loner and has been living on her own for a while now. However, she had heard of the Clans and wishes to join us." A few chatters swept through the gathered cats, but Settingstar silenced them quickly. "She has proven herself already as an extraordinary fighter, and says that she has hunted on her own for quite some time. All she must learn is our warrior code. Until she has earned her warrior name, she shall be known as Lightningpaw. Jaysight, you are an intelligent and loyal warrior. I trust you will teach our new member the ways of the warrior code."

A silver tabby tom with astonishing blue eyes stepped forward and bowed his head slightly to thank Settingstar.

Settingstar nodded and leapt off the Highrock, ending the meeting. As the other cats disbanded, Jaysight approached me. He wasn't particularly large or small, well-muscled or slender, but his fur was glistening silver, and his eyes were sharp and clear blue. His expression was impossible to read, but when he spoke, his tone was friendly enough.

"Greetings," he said. "As Settingstar announced, I will be your mentor. Do you know what that means?"

I was about to nod, because I did remember that from long ago, but I shook my head no just in time. They couldn't find out that I was already familiar with the ways of the Clans.

"Normally, it means that I'd be teaching you to hunt and fight, along with the ways of the Clans and the warrior code, and training you for several moons. But in this case, seeing as you already know how to hunt and fight, I will just be teaching you about the warrior code and how the Clans live."

I nodded in understanding.

"For now, I'd just like to show you around the camp." He turned towards the Highrock. "Let's start right here. That's the Highrock, and below it is the leader's den. Over there you've got the medicine den, and the nursery there."

"Nursery?" I questioned, feigning ignorance. Things were starting to come back to me now that I was here, but people might still believe me better as long as I kept up this act.

"Where queens that have kits or are expecting kits live. Right now we have two queens with seven kits between them. Our nursery is more full than it has been in a while."

I nodded. "Can I meet them?" I asked.

Jaysight's sharp and expressionless face softened for a moment, something sparking in his blue eyes. "As much as I would love to go visit my mate, Softflight, and her kits, now is not the time. You can meet them later."

I smiled and nodded. "Alright," I said.

Jaysight padded off towards another den. "Here's the warriors den, and there's the apprentice den. You'll be sleeping in the apprentice den until you become a warrior," Jaysight paused. "It's a good enough time for you to meet the other apprentices. They should all be nearby. Mistypaw! Ashpaw! Spiderpaw!"

The first cat to appear was a grey tom with one ear darker than the rest of him, except of course for his dark-tipped tail. His eyes were soft blue, and his fur was ruffled. He looked to be at least six moons old, probably a little older - closer to nine moons, if I had to guess. I recognized him as Ashpaw, the apprentice that had been on the patrol that found me. He blinked as he emerged from the den, looking like he had just woken up.

"What gives, Jaysight? I'm exhausted. I was up early this morning for dawn patrol and I did sunset patrol last night. Can't this wait?" he complained. Then he caught sight of me. "You again? Why are you still here?"

Jaysight's whiskers twitched slightly. "I guess you slept through the Clan meeting, Ashpaw. This is Lightningpaw, a new apprentice of ThunderClan. Oh, here's Mistypaw and Spiderpaw," he said.

Two other apprentices had bounded up to them, looking about the same age as Ashpaw. One was a silvery grey she-cat, lighter than Ashpaw, but with the same soft blue eyes. Her companion looked almost identical to Ashpaw, but could be discerned from him because the newcomer had neater kept fur and was slightly more slender and less muscled.

"Lightningpaw, this is Ashpaw, Mistypaw, and Spiderpaw. They are currently apprentices of ThunderClan," Jaysight said, identifying the silver she-cat as Mistypaw and the tom that had come with her as Spiderpaw. "They have been training for a couple of moons now."

Mistypaw nodded and smiled at me. "Hey, Lightningpaw. Welcome to ThunderClan." Ashpaw ignored me, and Spiderpaw ducked his head shyly.

"Uh… hi," I said.

A sharp voice called from the center of camp. "Jaysight! I want you to lead a hunting patrol!"

"I got to go," Jaysight said. "Can't keep Leopardclaw waiting. I want you three to show Lightningpaw the den and help her build a nest." With that, he hurried off, in a huge rush, it seemed.

Ashpaw yawned as Jaysight left. "Well, you guys, I'm going to go to sleep. And if anyone disturbs me, let's not forget who the best fighter in the apprentice den is."

Mistypaw put on a confused expression. "Who?"

Ashpaw growled. "Me!"

Mistypaw laughed. "I'm just teasing you, Ashpaw. Go on and take a nap. I don't want a sleep-deprived mouse-brain of a brother."

Ashpaw smiled a little for a moment, then swished his tail and stomped into the den. Mistypaw, laughing, turned to me.

"Come on. Spiderpaw and I will help you get some moss for your nest. You don't want to be around that grumpy-fur anyway," she said.

I followed walked with the two of them out of the camp. "So, you three are all littermates?"

Mistypaw nodded. "Yeah. Ashpaw usually isn't too bad, when he's well rested."

Spiderpaw spoke up for the first time. "He won't think much of sharing a den with a loner," the skinny grey tom remarked.

"True, but he'll get used to you, Lightningpaw," Mistypaw assured me. She sighed. "It'll be nice having another she-cat in the den. Putting up with all these immature toms is _so_ annoying," she rolled her eyes.

I smiled. Mistypaw seemed like a really nice cat. She seemed like she would make a good friend.

"So, it was just you three, until I came along?"

"Yeah, uh, until recently," Mistypaw replied, slightly uncomfortably. "See, around the beginning of newleaf, a kittypet showed up here. He was starving and lost, so we fed him and let him stay a few nights. Apparently he went to Settingstar and asked, since he didn't know how to get home and Clan life seemed better than being on his own, if he could join the Clan. Of course, Settingstar wouldn't turn him down, especially in a time like this. We need as many warriors as possible."

I was going to ask more about the kittypet that had shown up, but her last sentence distracted me. "What do you mean, a time like this?"

Spiderpaw surprised us both by speaking up. "We keep finding ShadowClan scents on our territory, but they won't admit to trespassing. It feels like we're pretty close to a battle."

"ShadowClan… so is that another Clan?" I asked, still keeping up my illusion of ignorance.

"Yeah. They live on the marshes just that way," Mistypaw pointed with her tail. "They're known for being very stealthy, especially at night. And they're very proud."

I nodded. We had been walking through the forest for a while at this point. Mistypaw said we were approaching a good spot to find some moss.

We stepped into a sandy clearing, and all of a sudden I spotted a pair of cats fighting in the middle of the clearing. The bigger of the two cats I immediately recognized as Thunderfang. He was attacking another cat, much smaller than him, who had scruffy grey tabby fur. It took me a half second longer, but I realized I knew the second cat too.

By then I was already tearing across the clearing straight for Thunderfang.

Only this time, he saw me coming. He sidestepped, away from me and the grey tabby on the ground. I was about to charge at him again, but Mistypaw quickly stepped between us.

"What are you _doing_, Lightningpaw?" Mistypaw gaped with an appalled expression. "Why in StarClan's name would you attack Thunderfang like that?"

"He was attacking Pete!" I exclaimed. And that was who the grey tabby tom was – Pete. Although I had hardly recognized him since he had lost his worn out black collar. And he had lost that well-fed, glossy-furred kittypet look. But those bright green eyes were still the same.

"Who's Pete?" said Mistypaw. "That's Forestpaw."

"My apprentice," added Thunderfang.

"Do all warriors attack their apprentices?" I spat harshly.

Pete – _Forestpaw _– stepped forward, whiskers twitching. "He was teaching me a battle move, Lightning."

"Lightning_paw_," Mistypaw corrected.

Forestpaw flicked his ear. "Hm. Interesting how we both wound up here, huh, _Lightningpaw_?"

I read in his gaze that what he was really asking was, _Why are you back here when you said you weren't supposed to come back? _

I looked back at him evenly and replied. "Yes. I think we have a lot to catch up on _later._"

He nodded slightly in understanding.

"Wait, you two know each other?" asked Mistypaw.

I nodded. "Long story. Right now, Forestpaw should probably get back to his training," I turned to Thunderfang, "Sorry I, uh, interrupted."

"If by 'interrupted', you mean nearly tore my head off in unprovoked rage, then apology accepted," Thunderfang said jokingly.

I smiled sheepishly and followed Mistypaw out of the clearing, looking back once to see Forestpaw intently listening to Thunderfang as the big ginger tom spoke. It was strange to see him and hear him speak again, after only dreaming about him for the past several moons.

That was when I wondered why I hadn't forgotten him after all that time. Was it the words he had said that made me think about where I had come from? Or was it something else…

No. Definitely not. What kind of mouse-brained idea is that?

_He called you pretty… _that dumb voice in the back of my mind remarked.

_No. _I tore my eyes from the grey tom and padded after Mistypaw and Spiderpaw into the trees.


	5. Chapter 4

_Hey guys! I have a big announcement, but first, as always, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm so amazed by all the nice reviews! Thank you so much!_

_Okay, now for the important announcement... _

_I'm now going to be updating both Tuesdays and Fridays. The reason being is that I'm writing chapters a lot faster than I am publishing. If I get behind again (which isn't really likely, at least for several weeks) I will go back to updating chapters. _

_The story will be getting progressively more suspenseful (I hope) and I can't wait for you guys to read more!_

_See you Tuesday!_

_-Izrose_

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**Chapter Four**

That night I slept in a nest between Mistypaw's and Forestpaw's. I woke at one point in the night to find Forestpaw's nest empty. I crept silently out of the den to look for him.

He was sitting outside, near the camp entrance, looking up at the stars. I walked over to him and sat down on the cold ground next to him. I felt like my tail was going to freeze off, but I didn't move.

"Well?" Forestpaw asked, not wasting any time. "Care to explain?" His tone wasn't harsh or demanding, just inquisitive and curious.

I swallowed. "You were right. I came back to find out the truth."

"About why you left in the first place?"

I nodded. It was just last leaf-fall I was here… wasn't it? But it felt like so much longer. Now we were nearing the end of greenleaf, and I was back.

"Why do you want to know the truth?"

Good question. I had done all this without thinking it through very much at all… why had I even decided to come back? Why did I care about the reason I had been exiled? Why did I think there even was a truth to find?

Because there was something nagging at the back of my mind, all this time. Something telling me to go back. And it was more than Forestpaw's voice in my dreams. It felt more like that ThunderClan piece of me, Amberpaw, was still inside of me, telling me to return.

"I'm not sure. But there's something I need to find here," I said.

Forestpaw was silent for a while, looking up at the sky. I looked up too. The milky sky seemed darker tonight, the stars brighter. The trees smelled fresher and the air was clearer. Everything seemed more beautiful for some reason.

Including the tom that sat beside me, his fur brushing mine.

"There's that group of stars they call Silverpelt," Forestpaw finally spoke. "They say that each of those stars is a Clan warrior that has died and joined StarClan."

I nodded and wondered if it was StarClan calling me back to ThunderClan, whispering to me like wind through the trees, guiding my pawsteps as I walked.

The next morning, Jaysight woke me early. I blinked open my eyes. "Wake up," he meowed in my ear. "We're going hunting."

"Hunting?" I asked, but there was no reply. He had already left the den.

I got up and stretched, yawning and arching my back. I was surprised that none of the other apprentices were awake yet. Not even the sun was up; the moon still shone above the horizon, being threatened by the first slow rays of daylight about to chase its image away.

Jaysight was sitting in the middle of camp, next to an empty pile of fresh-kill. "There you are!"

"Any reason this couldn't wait until the sun was at least halfway up?" I said grumpily.

Jaysight ignored my remark and continued. "This is the fresh-kill pile. It is the responsibility of apprentices and warriors to keep it stocked. Always remember, you must feed the Clan before you may eat."

I nodded.

"I want to test your hunting skills. We are going to go hunting this morning and see how much we can bring back. Prove to me that you can hunt."

"Isn't feeding myself for several moons on my own proof enough?"

Jaysight's whiskers twitched. "You're not feeding just yourself anymore. You're helping to feed the entire Clan. You better be a good hunter."

I bit back a retort and lashed my tail. "Okay, fine, let's go hunting. But aren't you supposed to be teaching me the ways of the Clans and all that?"

"There's a lot to be learned about that when we're hunting. You've already learned one law of the warrior code - which the elders and queens and kits are to be fed first. And trust me, there's much more to be learned, even on a simple morning hunting patrol." With that, he began padding casually out of camp. Slightly dazed, I followed him, meanwhile committing this first piece of the code to memory.

Shortly after we left camp and we moving slowly and silently through the trees, I began to relax. I was out hunting under the shadows of tall trees with cold morning sunshine on my back. It almost felt normal. And the fact that there was another cat by my side felt more right than I could even believe. I had my mouth slightly open for the taste of prey, my ears pricked for the faintest scuttle of small paws or a distant call of a bird.

Suddenly, I picked something up. _Vole. _I could smell it and hear it before I saw it. I stopped walking and dropped into a crouch. Jaysight stopped and turned to watch me. Drawing in a deep breath, I pinpointed the exact location of the vole – it was right under a drooping fern frond. I could just see a tiny pink nose poking out from under the dry leaves. I drew myself forward slowly, silently, not making a sound, and then pounced.

When I stood up with the dead vole dangling from my jaws, Jaysight's impressed expression was worth more than the satisfaction of a successful catch. "Very good," said Jaysight.

"Should we bring it back to camp now?"

"After catching only one little vole? No! Bury it for now. We'll catch more and then come back for it later." I did so, and we continued walking.

We walked along and he began to talk as we went, telling me the other laws of the warrior code concerning prey. There was a law forbidding warriors to trespass on other Clan's territory. Another one said that prey was killed only to be eaten, and warriors give thanks to StarClan for its life.

By the time we returned home, I had caught three mice and a thrush, plus the vole that marked my first catch. Jaysight carried two sparrows, one of which I had helped him catch, plus a plump-looking squirrel. It was nearly sunhigh upon our return, and a big, grey, and old-looking tom waited for us near the camp entrance.

"Got anything for me, Jaysight?" he growled. "I'm starving. All these warriors are so busy patrolling, they've got no time to bring an elder something nice to eat."

Jaysight looked past him. "Loudflight, there's plenty of fresh-kill on the pile."

"I said something _nice _to eat," Loudflight growled. "Not those scrawny mice or those feathery birds." The elder paused. "Hey, what about that nice squirrel?"

"Sorry, Loudflight, that's going straight to Softflight," Jaysight replied. "But Lightningpaw here has got a plump mouse or two for you to take back to the den. Bring one for Bluefrost as well."

Loudflight grumpily took two of the mice I had caught and rambled across the camp to the elder's den.

"Softflight?" I asked Jaysight.

"My mate," he replied. "She and her kits will be hungry by now. Bring that thrush to the nursery too, and drop the rest at the pile. You did a good job today, Lightningpaw. You may have a break as soon as we bring some food to the queens."

Jaysight went ahead to the nursery to bring his squirrel to his family. I followed after him, entering as he was leaving. Inside that den was louder than outside in the camp. I counted seven kits bouncing and jumping around. Just two queens were trying to control them.

"Kits! Come here and enjoy this squirrel your father brought us!" a pretty and slender light brown she-cat purred. Three kits bounced over to her.

The other queen, a sleek silver she-cat, looked sharply over at me. "I hope that thrush is for me."

I nodded. "Yes, er…"

"Silverwing," she said. "That's a nice thrush. Did you catch it?"

I nodded and she looked at me with approval. "You might just make a good ThunderClan warrior after all."

I smiled at her. "Thank you." Her kits were all crowding around her now. There was one silver one, two darker silver, and one white. All of them resembled their mother, and all were she-cats.

"This is Dewkit, Lilykit, Bubblekit, and Tidekit," she said. "They're too young for fresh-kill. Softflight's kits will be made apprentices before too long, though."

I nodded. "They are beautiful." I paused. "And they look like you."

Silverwing purred. "Thank you," she said. "And thanks for the thrush."

With that I left the den, ready for a break. I was exhausted from rising early and hunting all morning. I went over to the apprentice den to find Mistypaw nibbling on a mouse in the shade.

"Hey, Lightningpaw! Want to share?"

I nodded gratefully. Between us, we finished the mouse extremely quickly. Then we started talking.

"I was battle training this morning with Ashpaw. Poor Spiderpaw, he missed it, although he's not much for battle training usually. It makes him nervous. I actually beat Ashpaw once, but the three times he beat me made that seem insignificant." We both laughed a little when she said that.

"I went hunting with Jaysight."

"I heard you brought back quite an impressive haul," she said.

I shrugged, embarrassed. "I guess so."

Mistypaw rolled her eyes but changed the subject. "So, tell me about you and Forestpaw. How'd you know him?"

I told her most of the story of how he had ended up in my den. She listened patiently, but when I was done, she said, "Well, okay, that's all very interesting, but I guess what I really want to know is, are you guys, like, friends? Or…"

I didn't let her finish. "Yeah, we're friends," I said casually, pretending not to notice I had interrupted her.

She purred. "I was going to ask if you guys were, you know, _more _than friends?" She laughed at the look on my face. "You think I didn't find out about you two sneaking out of the den last night and huddling together outside?"

"We're friends," I repeated.

She laughed again. "Well, okay, it's just that you guys seem pretty close… and perfect for each other," she added, quieter, as if she didn't want me to hear even though she did.

I rolled my eyes and moved on. "What about you? Do you have someone?"

She shook her head. "Nah." She didn't elaborate further.

Soon after that, she had to head off on the sunhigh patrol, and I was left alone. That was when I was approached by the same black cat that had been in Settingstar's den when I first arrived.

"Hello," I said, forcing a casual tone. "Can I help you?"

The tom looked about my age, and had night-black fur similar to mine. His back two paws had white socks on them. His eyes shone bright amber, like twin fires lit behind his skull, and were narrowed in suspicion at me. Just like they had been back in Settingstar's den.

He didn't reply right away, so I forced a friendly smiled and said, "I'm Lightningpaw. And you are?"

"Stormblaze," he said in a low, gruff voice. "Look, you look very familiar, and I know I've seen you before somewhere."

I faked a look of confusion. "That can't be right. I don't recognize you."

He shook his head. "Well, _I _recognize _you_. And I've got my eye on you. If you're some kind of spy or something, I'll find out. I've got a feeling that you're not going to be any good for ThunderClan."

And with that, the black cat walked away.


	6. Chapter 5

_"Nothing ruins your Friday like realizing its only Tuesday." _

_Haha... I love that quote. Very true, as well. On the bright side, you get another chapter!_

_As always, thanks for all the wonderful reviews. You guys must have liked that last chapter, because I got three times as much feedback as usual! Thank you SO MUCH! I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate all the reviews I get. _

_Even thought you are probably getting tired of reading about it in the A/N. _

_One more thing... on Friday I'm going to be busy, so I may update next on Saturday. There is a possibility, though, that I could on Friday morning, but I'm letting you know just in case. _

_Enjoy, and I'll see you Friday! _

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Five**

I had trouble getting to sleep that night. Forestpaw and Stormblaze both swam around in my thoughts. Too many worries and questions kept me awake. I decided I wasn't helping anyone by sitting here in the dark with my own thoughts. I got up and crept out of the den to go hunting.

I was almost out of camp when a voice from behind me startled me. "So, are you running back to where you came from? Clan life too tough?"

Ashpaw. I recognized the voice before even turning around. "Actually, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go hunting. Maybe I'll catch something nice for Loudflight's breakfast."

Ashpaw looked frustrated. He couldn't think of a comeback to that. "Well, I can't sleep either. I might as well go with you."

I was surprised by his offer. When he was on the patrol that found me, he didn't seem too hostile, but since then, he had only tolerated me, if that. He didn't seem to like having Forestpaw _or _me in the Clan, much less in his den.

Despite this, I nodded. "Very well. I suppose we'll catch twice as much, then."

We padded out of camp in silence. The forest was different at night than during the day. Pitch black, with the even blacker shadows of trees, barely lit by a claw-moon hanging in the night sky. I focused on keeping my pawsteps quick and silent, and keeping my senses alert for the smell of prey.

It was Ashpaw who found something first. One second he was beside me, sliding into a hunting crouch, the next he was in the bushes, without a sound. And then he emerged, a pair of mice dangling lifelessly from his jaws.

"Nice," I complimented him, breaking the silence. He nodded in acknowledgement and buried his prey.

We walked a short while, the cold silence returning, before he broke it again. "So, why couldn't you sleep?" The silence had been so deafening, his words sounded louder than they should. They echoed through the trees before I answered.

I knew right away I couldn't trust him to tell him about Stormblaze. And I wasn't about to confide in a _tom _about Forestpaw. Perhaps if it was Mistypaw, I could talk about that, but I didn't even like Ashpaw. So, I lied. "I guess it's this whole new Clan thing. It's a lot to get used to." He nodded through the darkness. "What about you?"

He sighed and looked a little distant for a moment. "Well… there's this she-cat."

I almost laughed out loud when I heard that. Ashpaw, of all cats, being kept up at night by the thought of a she-cat! "Understood," I replied, smiling, and he looked relieved that he didn't need to say more. But he seemed a little nervous again when I continued, "May I ask who?"

"Tigerstep," he said.

I nodded. I hadn't met Tigerstep yet. As the silence settled between us once more, my thoughts wandered away from Ashpaw and back towards my own worries. Until I suddenly realized that Ashpaw had stopped walking. I turned around to see what the trouble was, and when I did so, my back paws landed on a hard, foul surface.

"ShadowClan border," said Ashpaw. "That's the Thunderpath. I didn't realize we'd walked so far."

I quickly stepped off the Thunderpath that apparently served as the border. "Oops. I stepped on it."

"It's fine. ShadowClan territory begins on the other side of the path," Ashpaw said.

I nodded. "Wait… what is that stench?" I asked, wrinkling my nose at the foul smell.

"Haven't you ever been near a Thunderpath before?"

"Not that. Smell," I said. Some unfamiliar reek penetrated the area near the Thunderpath.

Ashpaw inhaled deeply and hissed. "ShadowClan," he growled. He turned to me. "They've been trespassing again. We've got to tell Settingstar and Leopardclaw."

He began racing through the trees so fast, it was hard for me to keep up. He knew every log, rise, and hole in the ground in this forest, and on top of that, he was a fast runner.

Soon, we were bursting into camp. It was still dark out, but the noise we made woke a few cats up – including Leopardclaw.

Ashpaw rushed up to her. "Leopardclaw! We found ShadowClan scents near the Thunderpath again!"

Leopardclaw lashed her tail. "Again? Those fox-hearted excuses for warriors! Why has Settingstar done nothing about this?" She looked extremely frustrated and began pacing back and forth, her ears pinned back.

"Should we wake him up and tell him?" Ashpaw asked.

Leopardclaw shook her head. "It's not that important. We've found many traces of ShadowClan on the border. I'll discuss it with him in the morning. I must convince him to do something." She turned and spoke to everyone in the camp. "Go back to sleep. This is nothing to worry about tonight."

After that I headed back toward the den, checking to see if Ashpaw was following before I entered. Instead, I saw him talking with a pretty, young, tortoiseshell she-cat. _Tigerstep_, I guessed. I smiled and walked into the apprentice den without him.

It was surprising how easy it was to fall asleep after that.

I was equally surprised the next morning when I woke up _after _the sun had risen. Jaysight had let me sleep in. He approached me as soon as I walked out of the apprentice den.

"I let you sleep because I heard you had brought back the news from the ShadowClan border last night. Besides, it seems that around sunhigh, before the sunhigh patrol leaves, we're going to have a Clan meeting."

I didn't ask what about – it was obvious. I wondered if Leopardclaw had convinced Settingstar to do something about the ShadowClan trespassers. From my perspective, it seemed like a pressing matter. From what I had been taught so far, ShadowClan was breaking the warrior code.

I padded across camp to find Mistypaw. She was by the nursery, playing with some kits. They must have been Softflight's kits, because they weren't the ones of Silverwing that I had met yesterday. There were two golden kits, one tom and one she-kit, and a black tom. Each one was much bigger than Silverwing's kits.

"Hey," I said to Mistypaw as I approached.

"Hey," she said. "This is Lionkit, Shimmerkit, and Quietkit. I'm watching them while their parents go hunting together. Did you hear about the meeting?"

"Yeah," I replied. Just then I spied Stormblaze sitting in the shadow of the Highrock. He was staring straight at me. "Hey, Mistypaw?" I said casually. "Who's that warrior over there?"

Mistypaw glanced up. "Oh, that's Stormblaze. I don't know much about him. He only just became a warrior. He seems pretty reserved most of the time, but he's also really fierce. No mate, no family as far as I know. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "Just curious."

That was when Settingstar emerged from his den alongside Leopardclaw. He leapt onto the Highrock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting." As if they weren't already.

"As you know, ShadowClan has been continually trespassing on our territory," Settingstar began. His first words were met with several loud yowls of anger. He silenced them with a flick of his tail. "Just last night more evidence was discovered of ShadowClan on our side of the Thunderpath. Since the sunset patrol did not pick it up, we know they were on our territory sometime after sundown.

"Leopardclaw has convinced me that this cannot go on any longer, and she is right." With this, loud agreement came up from the crowd of cats. I glanced at Stormblaze. He was quiet. "I will go with a patrol of cats to the ShadowClan camp to confront Blizzardstar. There will be no fighting – yet. I just want to see if Blizzardstar has any knowledge of what is going on, and see if he will stop it."

There was silence. It was clear this was not what the rest of the Clan expected – or what they wanted. When the silence dragged on, Leopardclaw spoke up.

"I would much rather go tear those flea-pelts to shreds too, but Settingstar is right. We don't know all the facts. Blizzardstar might have no idea what's going on, and he could be able to stop it. Nothing tells us that Blizzardstar is ordering these cats to trespass."

Some cats nodded in agreement, while others still looked unconvinced. However, Settingstar nodded thanks to Leopardclaw, who I had by now guessed to be his deputy, and continued.

"The cats I wish to bring with me are Runningbird, Cloudypelt, Shadebird, and Jaysight. Leopardclaw, I trust you will keep an eye on things here." The cats he had spoken to nodded in respect. Among my own mentor, there was a long-legged brown tom, a long-furred white tom, and a pretty dark grey she-cat.

Settingstar leapt off the boulder, signifying the end of the meeting. The warriors disbanded, discussing the news with each other.

Jaysight made his way over to me. "I'm going on a border patrol later this afternoon. I think it'll be a good opportunity to teach you more about the other Clans."

I nodded. I can't remember the names of the other Clans besides ShadowClan, but I think there are four in total. "Sounds good."

"For now, I think it's time you started helping the apprentices out with their chores, since you are an apprentice of ThunderClan."

It was difficult to keep from moaning in annoyance. "Chores?" When I set out on a journey to discover the truth about my past, I did not anticipate _this_.

"Every apprentice does chores," said Jaysight.

I nodded and sighed. "All right. What do I have to do?"

"Fetching bedding for the elders and queens is one of the duties of apprentices. There's also checking the elders for ticks, and escorting the medicine cat when she goes to fetch herbs." When he saw my appalled expression, he quickly added, "Of course, _all _the apprentices help out. You can't be expected to do it all on your own."

"Okay. Where should I start?"

"Go see if Goldenbird needs any help," he said.

I looked at him blankly. Who was Goldenbird?

"She's the medicine cat. She'll be in the medicine den, over _there_," he pointed with his tail.

"Got it," I said, and scampered off. "_Chores,_" I muttered on my way there, under my breath.

Goldenbird was a young and pretty golden she-cat. She looked up when I entered the den. She seemed to be organizing some leaves into little bundles. The leaves smelled foul and bitter, and I could immediately tell when I walked in that the den was full of them. I wrinkled my nose.

She looked at me with a stunned expression on her face, without saying anything. I fidgeted uncomfortably. Shouldn't she know who I was? She had been at the meeting, hadn't she?

"Uh, you're Goldenbird, right?" I asked awkwardly. After several heartbeats, she was still looking at me with large and surprised blue eyes. She stared as if I had walked out of the sky from StarClan.

"Yes," she said, and then paused, those blue eyes trained directly on me. "And you're Amberpaw, right?"

* * *

_Quick note: In case you don't remember, Amberpaw was Lightningpaw's name before she was exiled. Very sorry if I haven't made that clear. _


	7. Chapter 6

_Hey! So, turns out I have time to update today! (Hooray!) _

_So don't you hate it when the author ends the chapter on a cliffhanger, and then the NEXT chapter is a different cat's point of view? I hate that too. _

_That's why I'm doing it to you. _

_This chapter is from Goldenbird's point of view inside a dream. It's a little short, so I think I'll add another chapter right after. _

_Enjoy! _

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Six – ****_Goldenbird_**

_Goldenbird opened her eyes to find herself in an empty clearing. The night sky looked closer to earth, and the stars were brighter than ever. The grass beneath her pads was lush and soft, and the night air was unusually warm, though cool mist hung in the air. _

_Out of the mist padded a beautiful pale tabby she-cat. Stars glistened in her fur and danced around her paws, and her yellow eyes shone and reflected the stars in the sky above. The beautiful cat glistened with starlight from nose to tail-tip. _

_"Riverdream!" Goldenbird bounded towards her former mentor, touching noses with her. "I've missed you!" _

_The she-cat purred. "I've missed you too. I'm so proud of you." _

_Goldenbird purred as well. Then, suddenly, she stopped. "Why weren't you at my naming ceremony at the Moonstone?" _

_Riverdream's purr faded. "I… had more pressing matters to attend to." _

_Goldenbird shied away slightly. "More pressing than your former apprentice's naming ceremony?" _

_"Afraid so," said Riverdream. "I wish I could've gone, though. And I'm very grateful to Silvertail for finishing your training. Medicine cats of all Clans must stick together." _

_Silvertail was a handsome silver tom, and also the RiverClan medicine cat. When Riverdream had died before Goldenbird's training was completed, Silvertail had generously taken over. It was somewhat difficult, because of the distance between their territories, and the rivalries between Clans, but medicine cats didn't have the same laws as the warriors. As Riverdream said, the medicine cats of every Clan had to help each other. _

_Goldenbird nodded, still stung. "Can you tell me what it was that was so important?" she asked, even though she knew the answer. _

_Riverdream surprised her with more information than she had expected. "I was meeting with some medicine cats and leaders to discuss a… problem among the Clans." _

_"I see," Goldenbird replied. "You're not going to tell me what the problem is, are you?" _

_Riverdream smiled ruefully and shook her head. "You know it's not that I don't trust you. It just wouldn't be a good idea for you to know." _

_Goldenbird nodded, understanding. Consequences of mortal cats having knowledge of StarClan discussions could be disastrous and fateful. _

_"Why did you summon me here, anyway?" Goldenbird asked. So far, she felt like the meeting hadn't brought her closer to Riverdream, it had only lengthened the distance between them. _

_"You remember what you were told at your naming ceremony, correct?" said Riverdream. _

_"Of course," replied Goldenbird. "They spoke of the return of a cat that the fate of the Clans would depend upon. Isn't that Amberpaw?" _

_Suddenly the mist started to thicken, now seeming more like fog. Riverdream's pale fur seemed to blend with it, as if she was melting into the fog and disappearing. She muttered something inaudible. _

_"What?" called Goldenbird. In a few heartbeats, Riverdream had disappeared completely. "Riverdream!" Goldenbird called after her mentor and friend, knowing very well that it was no use. _

_The dream began to dissolve around her. Goldenbird closed her eyes, allowing herself to slip back into consciousness. But halfway between dream and waking, she heard Riverdream's voice, crystal clear in her ear. _

_"Lightning will strike Shadow, lighting the forest with flames, and saving all the Clans." _


	8. Chapter 7

_Hey again! _

_As said in previous A/N, Chapter Six was a bit short, so I'm adding this one too. _

_This chapter is normal length and back to Lightningpaw's point of view. _

_Once again, enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"Lightningpaw! Are you coming?" called Jaysight from up ahead.

I was on my first border patrol, and I had been so deep in thought that I hadn't realized I had been lagging behind the rest of the patrol.

"Sorry!" I called, racing to catch up.

The patrol was led by Cloudfall, a white she-cat with brilliant blue eyes. Along with her, me, and Jaysight, there was a small black tom called Beetlestep.

We were on our way back to camp, and throughout the patrol I had been extremely absent-minded. My thoughts were still on earlier this day, when I had discovered that Goldenbird, somehow, knew my secret. She had said it had something to do with her connection with StarClan as a medicine cat, but refused to tell me any more after saying something mysterious about the fate of the Clans. It was driving me insane not knowing if she was going to tell Settingstar or not. If she did, it could all be over.

When we returned to camp, the sun was going down already. I realized I had probably slowed the patrol down. Cloudfall went to Leopardclaw to report, while I dragged myself to the fresh-kill pile.

I had been hunting early that morning with Ashpaw, a time that felt moons away now. I was exhausted. My paws hurt from walking all across the territory, and my mind hurt from overthinking everything that was going on. Before I could find something to eat, Forestpaw appeared by my side.

"You look pretty tired," he said.

"Probably because I am pretty tired," I replied, trying not to snap at him.

"Want to share a mouse?" he asked.

I nodded gratefully. He took a plump late-greenleaf mouse from the pile and led me over to the apprentice den, touching my flank with his tail. We shared the mouse in silence, crouching across from one another.

When we finished, he sat up and licked his lips. "What do you think about this whole ShadowClan thing?"

I sat up too. "I don't know. I don't think I know enough about the situation to really judge what's going on. All I can say is, these cats really don't like it when other cats trespass."

Forestpaw looked into my eyes. Once again, the brilliance of his bright green stare astonished me. "Something else is on your mind, isn't it?"

I couldn't help but smile. He had picked up on it right away.

"Goldenbird knows who I am. I don't think she'll tell anyone… but I don't know. She might tell Settingstar. And Stormblaze thinks he recognizes me. He hasn't figured it out yet, but…"

Forestpaw nodded, understanding. "Well, there's nothing you can really do, is there?"

I shook my head. There really wasn't. "It's still worrying me."

"Try focusing on something else," said Forestpaw.

"Like what?" I grumbled.

"Like me," Forestpaw joked. "How about paying attention to me while you talk to me?"

I smiled. "Sorry. I'm really distracted right now."

"I can see that," Forestpaw said, suddenly serious again. He leaned forward and gently touched noses with me.

And suddenly, Goldenbird and Stormblaze seemed very insignificant.

The next morning, I got up early. Last night I had fallen asleep so quickly it had surprised me. To my surprise, the other apprentices had already woken as well. Then I remembered – everyone would probably want to see the patrol leave for ShadowClan.

Sure enough, when I left the den, it seemed that the entire Clan was gathered around the warriors that would soon be leaving. Settingstar was nowhere in sight, however, the other warriors were receiving traveling herbs.

I found Mistypaw in the crowd of cats. She was with her brothers, talking excitedly about something. I awkwardly sat down beside them to wait for Settingstar to come out. Mistypaw didn't seem to notice my presence.

Finally, Settingstar exited his den and leapt onto the Highrock. The chattering of the Clan halted and all eyes turned up to him.

"I will be leaving at once with my patrol to ShadowClan. We plan to talk in peace with Blizzardstar to see if we can agree on a solution to the frequent trespassing. We will return before sundown. I wish for things to carry on as normal while I am gone. Borders still need patrolling, prey still needs catching."

Warriors were nodding at his words as he spoke. With that, Settingstar leapt off the Highrock, calling to his warriors to him as he began to walk towards the camp entrance. The four warriors he had already asked to join him followed him out in a perfect and uniform formation.

That was when Leopardclaw waltzed to the center of all the gathered cats. "Well, you heard him. You think RiverClan and WindClan are going to care what's happening on our border with ShadowClan? We've got patrols to take care of!"

While she spat out instructions and warriors to lead patrols, I turned to Mistypaw. "So, what's going on?"

She seemed surprised, as if she hadn't even realized I was there. "Er…"

Ashpaw growled. "Don't tell the loner. I don't want her tagging along."

"Tagging along where?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Now you have to tell me, or I'll go to Leopardclaw."

Ashpaw snorted, but doubt showed in his eyes. Spiderpaw spoke up. "We can tell her. She might want to come. And if not, I think we can trust her to keep a secret."

Mistypaw nodded and turned back towards me. "Okay." She leaned in and whispered, "We're going to follow the patrol and spy on the meeting with ShadowClan."

_"What?!" _I exclaimed.

_"Shh!" _hissed Ashpaw.

"We're going to ask Leopardclaw if we could all go hunting for the day, then we'll sneak off to ShadowClan territory and listen in on the meeting!"

I stared at her. "Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "Would you rather here the basics of what was discussed at the meeting, with some possibly important details omitted, or would you rather watch the two leaders discuss it firsthand?"

I thought it over. She made a good point. "You don't think you'll get caught?"

"No. We can hide from our own Clanmates easily enough. And don't you think ShadowClan will be more focused on a patrol of four strong warriors and a leader than looking for a few little apprentices that happen to be following them?"

I nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm in."

Mistypaw smiled, Spiderpaw nodded agreeably, and Ashpaw growled softly and sank his claws into the soft ground. I grinned, adding, "When do we leave?"

"Right after I go talk to Leopardclaw for a second." Mistypaw scampered off. I saw her exchange a few words with the sharp deputy before she returned. Somehow, not even Leopardclaw's harshness could put a damper on Mistypaw's cheerful attitude. "All right! Let's go!"

We left the camp and began following the trail of the patrol that had left moments before. We could just barely hear and sense them in the distance, but they were downwind of us, so it was unlikely that they could sense us at all. We could tell they were moving fast, not wasting any time, and before long we were running out of breath.

Thankfully, it was a short way to the Thunderpath. We reached it and crouched in the nearby undergrowth. The patrol was just ahead, standing on the edge of the path.

"Why aren't they moving?" I whispered to Mistypaw.

"They're waiting for a ShadowClan patrol. They don't want to trespass."

I nodded. That made sense. Suddenly, I heard yowling voices from across the Thunderpath. I couldn't see the cats coming from where I was, but their voices were crystal clear from where I sat.

"What do you think you are doing?" hissed an unfamiliar voice, obviously belonging to a ShadowClan warrior.

"Easy, Twoclaw. They're clearly not here to cause harm." A younger, calmer voice said. I shuddered at the name Twoclaw. Were all ShadowClan names that fierce?

Twoclaw hissed, and Settingstar spoke. "I wish to speak to Blizzardstar. It is a rather important matter."

The calm voice spoke again. "Forgive me, Settingstar, but I must know what is so important before taking a patrol of enemy warriors into my camp."

Right away, I liked this warrior. I could already tell he was loyal and rational.

"We have noticed traces of ShadowClan scent in our territory. I wish to know if Blizzardstar knows of this and if he could help me stop it."

The tom's voice was surprised when he next spoke. "I had no idea of this. We will escort you to Blizzardstar. Please cross the Thunderpath."

We listened to their pawsteps cross the Thunderpath and waited for them to walk into ShadowClan territory a ways. Then the four of us stepped out of the undergrowth.

"Ready?" said Mistypaw.

I nodded, and so did the two toms.

"Remember, we have to follow their trail exactly. We can't have extra ThunderClan trails around their territory left to explain."

We all nodded again. "Let's go," said Ashpaw.

Mistypaw led the way, and I fell in behind. We scampered across the Thunderpath quickly and carefully, one by one, checking for monsters before we hurried across. When it was my turn, I raised my head, looked side to side, pricked my ears, and waited a few heartbeats. All quiet.

I hurried across the path and into ShadowClan territory.


	9. Chapter 8

_Hey guys!_

_Once again, as always, (and I know you are sick of hearing this) thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews! I appreciate it SO much!_

_This next chapter is a particular favorite of mine (so far). I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

_Keep the feedback coming!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

ShadowClan territory was yucky, muddy, marshy, and had no undergrowth. I was starting to become baffled at how the ShadowClan cats could stand it. Mud gathered between my claws, crusted around my paws, dried on my belly fur. While we walked, rain began to fall, and the tall and spindly trees did nearly nothing to keep it off of us, where the tall, bushy trees of ThunderClan territory would have kept us much drier.

The only good thing about this territory was that as long as we were out of sight, the rain would cover up our sounds and scents. So we got to follow the two patrols at a much closer distance.

Twoclaw was an old, raggedy yellow tom that looked like he should have been in the elder's den many seasons ago. Actually, more like he should have joined _StarClan _seasons ago. His name came from the fact that he had only two claws on one of his paws. I have no clue how it got that way, and I didn't want to know.

The younger warrior that had done most of the talking was apparently named Eaglestrike. He was a handsome tawny tom that now led the patrol, walking just in front of Settingstar. He held his chin high, as if the rain didn't bother him. Indeed, he looked like a natural leader. Despite his age, I would not be surprised if he was Clan deputy.

There was a third cat on the patrol as well; whose name I found out was Nightbreeze. She was small and quick and night-black, and she caught a frog on the way to the ShadowClan camp. I was astonished that the ShadowClan warriors actually _ate frogs_, and Mistypaw and I made faces at each other when Nightbreeze emerged with the frog in her mouth.

The ShadowClan camp was pretty far from the Thunderpath, it seemed, but it was impossible to tell how much time was lapsing, because clouds were now blocking the sun out. However, at some point we finally reached the camp, and Eaglestrike led the patrol in. Our own little patrol of apprentices skirted around the edge, listening for voices to guide us. We hoped we could listen in on the meeting from outside the camp.

As luck would have it, the leader's den was up against the camp wall, and we could listen right through it. We couldn't see what was happening, but we could figure it all out from the sounds.

"Greetings, Settingstar," a deep voice sounded.

"Blizzardstar," Settingstar's familiar voice replied.

"I am eager to speak with you; however, I do think this den is a bit crowded. I understand you come here in peace; neither of us needs so many guards. I propose we each keep one warrior here as guard and send the rest outside."

"A reasonable suggestion," replied Settingstar. "Jaysight, you may stay. The rest of you, please wait outside."

"Eaglestrike, please sit down. Twoclaw and Nightbreeze, you may escort the ThunderClan warriors out. They've been walking a while, feel free to offer them some prey."

Twoclaw hissed. "Blizzardstar, that's _our _prey that _our _warriors worked hard to catch."

"I know, Twoclaw, but we are at peace with ThunderClan, and prey is running well here, as it is still greenleaf. They must be starving, go ahead and offer them something."

We heard Twoclaw hiss quietly and stalk out of the den, and Nightbreeze's soft pawsteps followed. As soon as all the other cats had left, Blizzardstar spoke again. I had already gotten the impression that he was a strong, yet generous and wise leader.

"Settingstar, I can't say I expected your visit. Whatever could be the matter?"

"Blizzardstar, I respect you very much as a leader. In times of peace, I even call you a friend. Because of my respect for you, I have a hard time believing that you know of what I am about to tell you." Settingstar paused. "ThunderClan patrols have noticed ShadowClan scent on our side of the Thunderpath."

Surprise resounded in Blizzardstar's voice when he next spoke. "I was not aware. Are you sure the wind is not simply blowing it across?"

"No, the scents are too strong for that to be the case," replied Settingstar, somewhat regretfully.

Blizzardstar seemed to pause in thought before replying. "I promise you, Settingstar, I had no idea this was happening. Right now, I do not believe any of my warriors would trespass on your territory, but I will make an announcement to them just in case. And I will ask Bonetooth to keep an eye on them as well. Have the cats been hunting on your territory?"

"No, that's the strange part. We can't see any sign that they have been doing anything other than walking a short ways. And we think it's only a small patrol, three or four cats at the very most."

Blizzardstar replied quietly, "I sincerely apologize for this. I will tell the Clan that this has been discovered, and if you continue to find evidence of my warriors on your territory, please send a messenger over here to tell me."

"Of course," said Settingstar.

"Would you like to rest here for a while longer before you leave? I know it's quite a walk back to your Clan."

"No, thank you. I appreciate your hospitality, though. We should be returning," Settingstar replied, declining politely.

"I will have Eaglestrike lead a patrol to escort you out. May StarClan light your path, Settingstar, until our next meeting."

At this point I was so focused on the two leaders' words that I jumped, startled, when Mistypaw nudged my shoulder. She pointed, urgently, with her tail. Through the scarce undergrowth I could just spot a glimpse of bright ginger fur, along with the scent of ShadowClan.

"Run!" Mistypaw mouthed. I didn't even pause to nod in response. I leapt silently out of our listening spot, racing back towards the Thunderpath, while staying out of sight of the cat that we had just seen. I saw blurs of grey fur to both sides, and knew that Mistypaw and her brothers were close behind me. However, they were not as skilled at running quickly _and_ silently as I was. I took the lead.

It took minimal time for us to reach the Thunderpath. We knew the way back now, taking the exact route we had come along, and we were in a hurry. We had only slowed down once we had gotten far from the ShadowClan camp.

We crossed the Thunderpath and returned to our territory in no time at all. I sighed in relief to be back under the trees. Raindrops dripped slowly from the treetops above, splashing into my fur, but I was glad to be out of the muddy swamp called ShadowClan territory. The rain soaked most of the mud out of my fur. We waded through a stream on the way as well to wash it out. We were freezing and wet, but it was worth it to have our fur clean.

Spiderpaw showed us some strong-smelling plants to roll in and cover up the smell of ShadowClan. After that, we returned to camp.

We had beaten Settingstar's patrol back, despite our visits to the stream and the plants. The clearing sky revealed that it was late afternoon. Leopardclaw approached us immediately on our return.

"No prey to bring back! And you were out all day!" she hissed. We glanced at each other. In all the excitement, we had forgotten our cover story. However, Leopardclaw surprised us by softening a little. "No one's had much luck today. I guess the rain drove everything into its den. However, if you want dinner, you're going to have to go out and catch something later."

We all nodded, assuring her that we would, and slipped away to the apprentice den. Forestpaw wasn't there right now. We had the chance to talk in private.

"I can't believe how friendly they were being towards each other."

"Do you think Blizzardstar was telling the truth that he didn't know what had been going on?"

"No way. He was lying for sure."

"Come on, he's an honest cat and a good leader."

"Even if he was telling the truth, do you think he's going to be able to stop the trespassing?"

"Why are they trespassing in the first place? If it's not to hunt… what's the point?"

The siblings were in a heated discussion already, exploding with comments and questions. However, after Spiderpaw's last addition to the conversation, there was silence. Because there was only one answer to his question.

_They're spying._

But why would ShadowClan spy on us? We were at peace. We had done nothing to anger them, as far as I knew, and prey was plentiful in their territory. There was no logical explanation to be found.

"You guys, talking about it catches no prey," Mistypaw finally said. "Let's all go out hunting, and let the senior warriors figure it out. We weren't supposed to listen to that meeting, and we're certainly not supposed to solve the Clans' problems on our own."

We all agreed. Mistypaw was sort of a leader among us. And Ashpaw was like an ambitious deputy. I smiled at my own thoughts, but no one seemed to notice.

We were all a little shaken after being in enemy territory for so long. It was good to be back on familiar ground. It was even soothing to me, and I had hardly been here for very long. It surprised me how much it already felt like home here. I was getting too comfy.

_Don't forget why you're here. It's not for Mistypaw, or Forestpaw. You're here to find out the truth. Don't let your new friends distract you. _

It wasn't that I was distracted. It was just that… life was so much better here. Easier. With cats to depend on when you needed them.

_Maybe I can just forget Lightning. She can stay in that little den in those woods where I left her. I can just become Lightningpaw of ThunderClan. _

But no matter what I told myself, I knew I couldn't just give it up. If I did, it would haunt me forever. Because the innocence and loyalty of Amberpaw was still there inside me. And being here in ThunderClan had awakened that part of me.

I owed it to Amberpaw to find the truth.


	10. Chapter 9

_Hey everyone! Happy Friday! _

_This is another chapter that's from another cat's point of view. Once again, it is inside a dream. Also, it is very short again, so another chapter will be added today. _

_To note about these chapters: I won't be doing other point of views in any particular pattern, just when I feel it is necessary to give more info on the background/characters/storyline. Also, they will not always be inside other cats' dreams. _

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Nine - ****_Stormblaze_**

_"Who is she?!" Stormblaze yowled sharply to the beautiful, midnight-black she-cat in front of him. Immediately, though, he felt a pang of guilt. The she-cat was his mother, who had joined StarClan long ago, just before he had become an apprentice. He was left without any family, having no littermates and a father that died before he was born. _

_"That's no way to talk to your kin," Rainstep said, without a hint of hurt or anger in her sweet voice. It seemed like she was never in a bad mood. _

_"I'm sorry," Stormblaze said, ducking his head for a moment like a kit caught sneaking out of the nursery. "But why can't you tell me? I know that I know her from somewhere. She's not really Lightningpaw, is she?" _

_Rainstep smiled, nuzzling her son. "You will find out yourself, if only you can remember. You are closer to her than you know." _

_Stormblaze raked the ground with his claws in frustration. "But I want to know!" he hissed. _

_Rainstep only laughed, drawing away from him. "You have never been very patient. Not even as a kit." _

_Silence settled between them for several painful moments. _

_"I miss you. Why did you leave me alone?" Stormblaze's voice broke the silence. _

_She stepped towards him again, so they touched noses. "I miss you too. But I didn't leave you alone." _

_"Yes, you did. I lost you, and you were the only one there for me." _

_"No…" Rainstep faltered. The dream was beginning to fade away already. "You... aren't… alone…" _

_"Rainstep!" Stormblaze called out. But it was no use. She seemed to fade into the night sky above. His voice sounded like he was a kit again when he mewed quietly, "Mommy." _

_Then the dream fell apart completely and he woke up in a cold nest with the scent of his mother's fur on his tongue. _


	11. Chapter 10

_Hey! Here's the second chapter I promised! _

_To be clear, we are back to Lightningpaw's point of view. _

_Once again, happy Friday! I'll see you again on Tuesday!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Settingstar's silhouette against the full moon was frightening. His scarlet fur glowed dim blood-red in the scarce light, and his eyes shone through the shadows. He stood atop the Highrock, waiting for cats to gather beneath him.

Not for a meeting, for the Gathering.

I had just learned that every full moon, all four Clans met in a place called Fourtrees in the center of the territories. I was going with Jaysight tonight and right now sat beside him right under the Highrock, waiting for the rest of the patrol to gather.

Leopardclaw stood at Settingstar's flank, watching him rather than the cats below. Something was halfway concealed behind her forest green eyes. It wasn't impatience, or frustration, or anything I'd seen Leopardclaw looking like before. It looked almost like… admiration? Not quite… something more than that…

I shook those thoughts out of my mind. I had bigger things to worry about. For instance, this whole dispute with ShadowClan. It had nothing to do with the real reason I was here, but I had the sneaking feeling that it was somehow connected. I had no evidence to support my idea, of course. A very improbable idea, anyway. But I couldn't shake it off.

It had been nearly half a moon since the meeting with Blizzardstar. Only a few sunrises ago, the first traces of ShadowClan since then had been found on our territory. Except it was a little more than _traces _now. It looked like an entire patrol of cats had been there, going much further into our territory than they had before. Settingstar had said it was too close to the Gathering to bother much now, so we waited and kept out eyes out. It seemed like the cats visited every night now, but Settingstar refused to do anything before speaking with Blizzardstar again at the Gathering.

Finally, after sitting there with my tail freezing into the ground for ages, every cat seemed to be ready. I glanced around. I recognized Cloudfall, Runningbird, Thunderfang, Tigerstep, Stormblaze, Mistypaw, Ashpaw, Spiderpaw, and Forestpaw. In addition, there were two twin dark grey tabby cats called Pricklepad and Berrypool whom I hadn't really gotten to know well – I just knew they were Ashpaw's and Spiderpaw's mentors.

Settingstar leapt off the Highrock, signaling for his patrol to follow him. It was the largest group of cats I'd ever been in outside of camp, excluding the time I was in ShadowClan territory. We moved quickly across the territory, and I stuck by Jaysight's side, but I was so nervous that I was going very slowly.

I had a bad feeling going towards Fourtrees. A weight in my stomach, a lump in my throat. I have no clue where it was coming from, but… something wasn't right. I looked up at Silverpelt while I ran.

_Is something wrong? What's going on? _I thought, not sure if I was asking myself or StarClan.

After leaping over a low stream without getting my paws wet, and watching Ashpaw, frustrated, splash into it, I could see Fourtrees. There were four humongous oak trees around the clearing, and one Great Rock in the center. When we reached the clearing, it wasn't immediately clear if my suspicions were correct or not. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

Except that there were a lot of cats. More than I'd ever seen in my life in one place. WindClan and RiverClan, it looked like, had already arrived. ShadowClan had yet to make its entrance.

I was so busy taking it all in that I didn't realize that Jaysight had left my side. I looked around frantically, until the touch of Mistypaw's tail-tip tapped my flank.

"You don't have to stay with your mentor, you know. More fun without them watching your every move," she said, smiling.

I smiled back, relaxing a little. "How many Gatherings have you been to?"

"This is my second, actually," she said. "I've been an apprentice for five moons. Anytime now, I'll be having my assessment and getting my warrior name." She said this last part very proudly.

"The den will be empty without you and Spiderpaw," I meowed. "Ashpaw, however, I don't think I'll mind too much when _he _leaves."

Mistypaw laughed. "Ah, but then you and _Forestpaw _will have the den to yourselves," she meowed, winking.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, be quiet. Come on, why don't we go talk to some apprentices from other Clans?"

She agreed and dropped the subject of Forestpaw for now. We soon ran into a couple of WindClan apprentices and one from RiverClan. The two WindClan were named Starlingpaw, a small black-and-white tom, and Hailpaw, a huge white tom. We were surprised to learn they were the same age – their size difference was immense. Quailpaw of RiverClan was a pretty tortoiseshell who was quiet and kind. She had been talking to the pair of WindClan apprentices before we approached.

We sat with the three apprentices and began talking, and before long I was having a great time. I never expected to get along so well with other Clans. However, this was a peaceful and joyful time in the Clans, and it was easy to like cats that were so like me.

Eventually, though, ShadowClan arrived. And as their leader joined the other three leaders atop the Great Rock, I realized I had been right in my hunch that something was wrong.

Because the leader that leapt onto the rock was not Blizzardstar.

"Bonetooth?" Gingerstar, the WindClan leader, asked. "What has happened to Blizzardstar?"

Bonetooth was a huge cream-colored tom. When he spoke next, he was speaking to every cat in the clearing. "Blizzardstar was in an unfortunate accident with a fox on our territory. He was on his last life. The fox has been driven off, but we are both mournful and watchful for its return. I have received my nine lives from StarClan, and I am now Bonestar, as of three sunrises ago. Twoclaw has been named my deputy."

Quiet and confused meows sounded out through the clearing. I thought it was because Twoclaw didn't seem like a likely choice for deputy. Not only did he lack leadership skills, but he was nearly an elder, and ragged and scarred from years of battle. He would not last long if he saw battle again before Bonestar's reign ended.

I saw confusion spark in my own leader's eyes, too, but I got the feeling it was more than just Bonestar's choice in deputy.

Finally, Gingerstar spoke again. "Blizzardstar was a great leader, both powerful and thoughtful. I remember the Gathering when he announced that he was succeeding Jasminestar. He was an amazing leader for ShadowClan, taking care of them for many seasons. He watches over all the Clans from Silverpelt tonight." The entire clearing dipped their heads in respect for Blizzardstar. Gingerstar nodded to Bonestar. "We wish you luck in your leadership, and may StarClan light the way for you and ShadowClan."

Bonestar acknowledged her with a nod of his head, but said nothing more.

Settingstar stepped forward after the moment of respect for Blizzardstar. As if to rid the clearing of the silence, he began, "ThunderClan has a new apprentice this moon, Lightningpaw." I ducked my head shyly at the mention of my name. Settingstar paused before continuing. "In addition, and I hate to bring this up with the recent tragedy in your Clan, but it seems that several ShadowClan cats have been visiting our territory nightly, Bonestar."

Silence echoed across the clearing. All eyes turned to the huge white tom.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Settingstar," Bonestar said slowly. "None of my cats have been trespassing." He said it with perfect calmness and sincerity, it was almost like you could believe him.

But none of ThunderClan did.

Leopardclaw was the first to burst out in rage. "Liar!"

The rest of ThunderClan followed suit, yowling at Bonestar loudly.

"There's no way you can tell us that there are no ShadowClan trespassers! We've scented them every night!" yowled Leopardclaw from the foot of the Great Rock, raw rage in her voice.

Bonetooth looked down at her with cold yellow eyes, not at all disturbed or panicked. "I assure you, there is a mistake. My warriors have not been trespassing."

Settingstar silenced his Clan with a wave of his tail. "Very well, Bonestar. Perhaps you are right. We will be more careful." His words were icy in comparison to his flaming eyes that betrayed his true rage that matched Leopardclaw's in every way except in the way it was contained.

Every Clan was in shocked silence, it seemed, except ShadowClan. Their warriors seemed relaxed as if nothing exciting had happened at all.

There was silence across the clearing. I looked up at the sky. The moon was clear. Jaysight had said that if StarClan was unhappy with what was happening, they would sometimes send clouds to cover the moon. But the sky was clear, and the clearing well-lit.

What could StarClan be thinking as they watched from the sky?

I knew one thing: something was off about Bonestar and Twoclaw. I hoped StarClan could see through it too.


	12. Chapter 11

_Hey everyone! New chapter! Yay!_

_Happy Valentines Day (soon)! _

_... not much else to say. _

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

The Gathering was nearly over. Leaders had shared their news, now I just wanted to go back to camp and fall asleep. But apparently the Clans got time to share tongues after the Gathering.

I went to find Jaysight and found him speaking with none other than Eaglestrike.

They were talking about Bonestar.

"I'm… a little surprised about his choice of deputy," Jaysight was saying when I walked up.

"We all are," said Eaglestrike. "Well, more like half of us. It seems like some warriors were nodding in agreement, like it was a good choice, and the rest of us were looking at each other wondering what in StarClan was going on."

Jaysight was shaking his head. "I just don't understand it. Why he would pick Twoclaw. It makes no sense."

They both seemed to notice my arrival then.

"Oh, hello," said Eaglestrike.

"Eaglestrike, this is my apprentice, Lightningpaw," said Jaysight. "Lightningpaw, this is Eaglestrike."

I dipped my head to him. He nodded in return.

"I heard your name in the ceremony. You look a little old to just be becoming an apprentice."

I glanced at Jaysight nervously, not sure what to say. I didn't know if other Clans were supposed to know if I was Clan-born or not. Eaglestrike noticed my nervousness.

"Not Clan-born, I'd guess," he meowed. I looked at him in astonishment. "Oh, I won't tell anyone. Personally, I don't care. A loyal warrior is a loyal warrior. But other cats might disagree. Is there any dissent in your own Clan?" he asked Jaysight.

"Not much outspoken disagreement. I think a few warriors don't like it much, especially since she's not the first outsider Settingstar's taken in. But they keep it to themselves. Lightningpaw is becoming quite a warrior, anyway. They've not much to complain about."

Eaglestrike nodded. "Bonestar, I know, would never agree to letting a non-Clan-born cat join ShadowClan."

Jaysight frowned. "Blizzardstar would have. I think it's a sign of strength as a leader, not judging a cat from where they were born. Lightningpaw may not have been born in ThunderClan, but she's a Clan cat to the core."

I looked at my paws, pretending it was from embarrassment. In reality, I was ashamed of what I was hiding from my mentor. Jaysight had paid me a huge compliment… little did he know, at least the first half was a lie.

Jaysight turned to me. "I'm going to go talk to a friend in WindClan. I'll see you soon," he said, and walked off.

I turned to Eaglestrike. His bright eyes were on me. "So, how is Clan life suiting you?"

"Very well, thank you," I said awkwardly. "Er… sorry about Blizzardstar."

Eaglestrike nodded sadly. "He was a great leader. Too bad you never got to meet him."

I nodded. _No, not personally. But I have heard his voice. _

I didn't dare say that, however.

"Also…" Eaglestrike frowned. He looked around before leaning in and whispering, "I think Bonestar's got some kind of plan. He seems like he's gathering a group of cats that support him or something. Twoclaw for one. I'm just noticing it now, but I think this has been going on for a while. Like, years. Starting back when he was deputy. I don't know what's going on exactly, but it's not going to be good."

My eyes widened.

_Years? _

Could Bonestar's past be related to my own in some way? Did he have anything to do with me being exiled?

_Impossible. How could something in ShadowClan affect something like that in ThunderClan? There's not much of a connection yet._

I couldn't try to think about there being a connection until I figured it out a little more. But it would be nice if there would. Then I wouldn't have to divide my time between worrying about _my _problems and worrying about the _Clans' _problems.

"Doesn't sound good. There is something very suspicious about the way he completely denied the whole trespassing thing. The evidence we've found is hard to deny."

"And just a half moon ago, your leader visited Blizzardstar, and he announced to the Clan afterwards that Bonetooth would be watching to figure out who was trespassing, and they would be punished. We all believed it, because there's no reason for Settingstar or Blizzardstar to lie. But Bonetooth said he never found anything."

I shook my head. The whole thing was way too complicated and mysterious.

Suddenly I glanced over and saw Settingstar talking to Bonestar beside the Great Rock. Settingstar didn't look happy. Bonestar's face was expressionless.

Eaglestrike noticed too, but before we could say anything, leaders began calling their cats to them. It was time to go.

Eaglestrike whispered to me. "Meet me here at Fourtrees under the light of the next half-moon. We need to do some investigating and exchange information again. Something's going on, and I intend to find out."

I didn't have time to nod in agreement before the tawny ShadowClan warrior pranced off to his Clan. I had no choice but to walk in the opposite direction to mine.

_I was racing through the forest. Soon I came to the Thunderpath. I was being chased. Eaglestrike called to me from the other side, but a monster was coming. Wasn't it? But the path looked empty, and I couldn't hear a thing…_

_Who was chasing me? Bonestar. Of course. He was only a short ways behind me. My only chance was to cross the Thunderpath and keep running. _

_I raced across, but as soon as I stepped onto it, a monster came roaring into view. I ran faster, but I knew it was no use. Here it comes…_

Just when the monster hit me, I woke up safe in my nest. Startled, my head flew up, looking around the den. All was as it should be.

I had caused Forestpaw to wake up. He touched his tail-tip to my flank and his nose to mine. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah," I said. His voice sounded soft and sleepy. Mine sounded nervous and alert.

"Don't worry," he meowed tiredly. "It wasn't real." As soon as the words left his mouth, he fell back asleep.

His neck was still stretched out to touch noses with me, our chins resting on the edges of our moss nests. I fell asleep like that too.

Bonestar didn't haunt any of my dreams for the rest of the night.


	13. Chapter 12

_Hey everyone! Happy Friday! _

_Really quickly, I'd like to say once again, to clear up confusion, that when Lightningpaw was first exiled, her name was AMBERPAW. _

_Also, I love hearing about what you think is going to happen next in the reviews! I sit there with a mischievous grin because only I know how it ends... ;) _

_This is another different point of view chapter. Once again, there is NO PATTERN for these chapters, I just add them when I feel it is necessary for more information. Also, they are generally pretty short, so as always, a second, full-length chapter will be added today as well. _

_PLEASE keep up all the wonderful reviews! And don't forget to tell me your predictions! _

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Twelve - ****_Settingstar_**

_"Hey. It'll be okay," Leopardclaw meowed softly to Settingstar. She was using that soft, quiet, tender voice that only came out in some moments with him. She sat beside him, her tail entwined with his, and she leaned against him. _

_"Maybe." _

_"This is the right decision. You must defend your Clan." _

_"Yeah." _

_"It'll all turn out all right. We'll win. We have strong warriors. Don't you believe in them?" _

_"Of course. But ShadowClan has strong warriors too." _

_That was when Goldenbird walked in. Settingstar saw the threat of laughter in her blue eyes when she saw Leopardclaw and Settingstar sitting side by side. Leopardclaw awkwardly scooted away. _

_"What is it? I just got to sleep and then you send for someone to wake me up and bring me here," Goldenbird meowed, only sounding slightly angry. _

_"We're going to ambush ShadowClan." _

_Goldenbird wasn't surprised. Nothing seemed to surprise her. _

_"Great. Why do I need to be here? Wouldn't you rather have a well-rested medicine cat tending to injuries then?" _

_"We're planning our strategy." _

_"Again, why do I need to be here?" Goldenbird sighed. "Honestly, Settingstar, you know I'm no good with strategies and such. That's warrior work. Herb, that's medicine cat work." _

_"So is interpreting messages from StarClan," meowed Settingstar. "I want to know if you've heard anything from them lately." _

_"First of all, I don't hear. It's not like a crazy voice in my head at random moments in the day. I dream. You should really know this," Goldenbird said, mostly joking. "Second, yes, I have actually, but I don't know if it's any help." _

_"It must in some way, if it's from StarClan." _

_"It's… Lightningpaw," said Goldenbird, hesitating as if the name was unfamiliar on her lips. "She's important in the fate of the Clans. There's… a prophecy about her." _

_Settingstar and Leopardclaw looked shocked. Finally, Settingstar spoke. "Okay. We'll bring her along on the battle just in case." _

_"If she's the only apprentice, and the newest one, everyone will be suspicious," Leopardclaw pointed out. _

_"Then we'll bring Mistypaw, Ashpaw, and Spiderpaw too," said Settingstar. He dipped his head to Goldenbird. "I wouldn't want to keep you from your sleep. You may go." _

_Goldenbird nodded and turned to leave. _

_However, before she exited the den, she stopped suddenly. She turned. "Settingstar," she meowed. "There's one other thing you should know about Lightningpaw." _


	14. Chapter 13

_Like I said, uploading right away because last chapter was short. _

_Reminder: this chapter is back to LIGHTNINGPAW'S point of view. I know I say this every time, but I really don't want people to get confused. _

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

The call rang out early the next morning, loud and clear. Cats that had gone to the Gathering looked ragged and grumpy, most just emerging from their dens upon hearing Settingstar's call. However, something in Settingstar's urgent and worried tone made every cat gather. Looking around, I couldn't see a single face missing from the crowd.

Perhaps because Settingstar was flanked on the Highrock by both Goldenbird and Leopardclaw. They both watched him carefully, fully expecting what was coming. It was clear that the three of them had been conversing beforehand. Settingstar let a long pause of silence hang in the air.

Forestpaw was sitting next to me… rather close. I didn't mind, though, and that was what scared me most. Last night it was almost as if he had chased away my bad dreams, just by touching his nose to mine. I had slept so soundly after that.

All this stuff to worry about. I don't have time to worry about a _tom _too.

Luckily, Settingstar began talking, and I focused on that instead of Forestpaw. "Last night at the Gathering, it was announced that Blizzardstar was succeeded by Bonestar." He said each word like it was calculated and planned perfectly. He had been planning all night, by the look of his messy fur and tired eyes.

Shocked meows echoed throughout the Clan. Settingstar waited a long time for them to die down. He seemed to be in no hurry. Perhaps he was just tired.

"When I confronted Bonestar about the trespassing, he denied it completely."

Now yowls of shock and rage erupted.

"We've _smelled_ the evidence more times than he has claws!" yowled Pricklepad.

"He has no right to deny it! We know for sure they've been there!" Fuzzyfur.

"He must have something to do with it! Why else wouldn't he admit it?" Wisptail.

Settingstar silenced everyone with a flick of his tail. "You are all right. It is far too suspicious." Another pregnant pause. "Next time they come to our territory, we will be waiting for them."

Yowls of both excitement and anger rose up from the gathered cats. Forestpaw whispered to me excitedly, "A _battle_."

Again, Settingstar waited until the chatter died down. "We know approximately how many cats have been visiting the territory each night. So we know how many cats we need to overpower them. I have chosen the cats I wish to have on my battle patrol."

Once more, he waited plenty of time before continuing. It was unclear what for.

"Leopardclaw, Thunderfang, Bearfang, Jaysight, Cloudfall, Runningbird, Fuzzyfur, Pricklepad, Berrypool, Stormblaze, Wisptail, Ashpaw, Mistypaw, Spiderpaw, and Lightningpaw. You will all accompany me to the area near Thunderpath on the night of two sunrises from today. I will meet with this group of cats after this meeting to discuss our strategy."

Cats he had called nodded. A handful of others sighed in relief, while most others looked disappointed not to be going to battle. I was shocked that he had chosen me. While I was a skilled fighter, I still hadn't been in the Clan that long. He trusted me enough to send me into battle?

Whether or not that was a good idea, I couldn't tell you.

"That is all. Cats whose names I have called, please meet me underneath the Highrock."

Most of the cats dispersed, going on with their day, but the large patrol of cats who had been called gathered in a circle around Settingstar. I was in the front, one of the closest to him. Leopardclaw, as always, sat beside him.

"ShadowClan are not forest fighters. And they will not know of our plan. So we have the element of surprise, and the advantage in our own territory," Settingstar began, not wasting any time.

"An easy battle," meowed Bearfang, a shaggy brown tom. "Especially with this many cats."

"Driving them away is not the only focus of this attack. I also want to find out who is leading them to do this," Settingstar said. "Remember the faces of the cats you fight. Each one is evidence of Bonestar's lie."

I nodded, and so did everyone else. So far this was making sense. However, I continued to listen with rapt attention. I didn't want to miss a single detail.

"We will head over there around sundown. We'll climb the trees and wait for them to come. When I give my signal, we'll drop down right on top of them," Settingstar said.

More nodding in response. It seemed like a pretty genius plan. Settingstar dipped his head to Leopardclaw. She stepped forward.

"We will be in three separate patrols, so we can surround ShadowClan from all sides except the way back to their own territory," Leopardclaw meowed. "Settingstar will lead one patrol, I will lead another, and Jaysight, you will lead the third." She proceeded to divide us into the three patrols, so each one had four warriors, including the leader, and at least one apprentice.

We all nodded. I would be part of Jaysight's patrol, with Cloudfall, Stormblaze, Pricklepad, and Ashpaw.

_Fantastic. I get to fight alongside Stormblaze and Ashpaw. This should be interesting. _

"Does everyone know which patrol they are joining?" asked Settingstar.

Another chorus of nods and yeses.

"Very good. I suggest you use the next two days to train and prepare. We may have the advantage in more than one way, but it is still a battle, and these are trained warriors we are going up against," he meowed. "You may go. But I'd like to speak with Leopardclaw and Jaysight in my den, please."

Mistypaw came padding up to me just as the warriors were dispersing and Jaysight and Leopardclaw were disappearing into Settingstar's den. "Hey!" she half-whispered. "Let's go listen to their meeting!"

I glanced over at the den, hesitant. It seemed rude to listen to a meeting with my own Clan. Then again, I had already snuck into ShadowClan territory without being discovered. Eavesdropping inside my own camp? That was nothing compared to our previous adventure.

"Alright," I said, and followed her over to the den. We crouched near the entrance, our ears pricked.

"I must tell you two something. You are my two most trusted warriors," Settingstar said. A long pause before he continued. "You know Blizzardstar was a dear friend to me. I knew him very well, even before we were both leaders. That is why I know… he was not on his last life. I know for a fact he had at least five left."

Mistypaw's mouth dropped open, and I could hear the warriors inside the den gasping in shock. I looked at Mistypaw confusedly. What did he mean by _five lives left_?

Mistypaw shook her head, signifying that she'd tell me later.

"Not only that," Settingstar meowed. "But in our meeting, Blizzardstar implied that he would be asking Bonestar's assistance in catching the trespassers. Now Bonestar is pretending he knows nothing of this."

"It doesn't make any sense," Jaysight agreed.

"Something is obviously going on," meowed Settingstar. "And I have a feeling it won't end with this battle."

"Leaders are granted nine lives from the cats of StarClan," Mistypaw explained to me later outside the apprentice den as the sun went down. "It's so they can lead their Clans for much longer."

"What if a bad leader gets nine lives? We're all basically stuck with him?"

Mistypaw laughed. "If StarClan thinks a leader is unfit to lead a Clan, they don't give them nine lives. I've heard of it happening in stories, but not in my actual experience."

"So… Settingstar thinks Blizzardstar had several lives left when he was supposedly attacked by a fox?"

Mistypaw nodded. "This makes it extremely suspicious. You see, while it's not impossible for all a leader's lives to be taken in one fight, or even one blow, it is very unlikely. And Blizzardstar was a strong warrior, I might believe it if he lost one life to a fox, but certainly not _five._"

"So Bonestar's story doesn't add up," I meowed, deep in thought.

"It's obviously a complete _lie,_" Mistypaw meowed in anger. "That fox-hearted excuse for a leader! I knew all ShadowClan cats were flea-pelts, but he's worse than all of them!" Mistypaw was now pacing the den, spitting and lashing her tail. I wondered if it was worth it to tell her about what Eaglestrike had said. However, it would most likely just upset her more.

I have to say, it was upsetting _me _just a little bit to hear such a sweet, friendly she-cat like Mistypaw, who played with kits in her spare time, hissing out vile insults about another cat. Even one like Bonestar that haunted my nightmares.

"You're right," I said, trying to console her. "He's awful. But Settingstar's obviously onto him. Let the Clan leader and his senior warriors figure this out. It's not our responsibility."

Mistypaw nodded reluctantly. "Yes. But I really wish I could just sink my claws into that mouse-brain's pelt."

I purred. "I do too. And you never know. You could get the chance, at the battle," I meowed.

Mistypaw scoffed. "Yeah. An apprentice taking on a leader. Wonder how that would turn out."

I nudged her. "Almost a warrior, remember?"

She actually laughed a little at that. "Still. I feel like I should be doing _something_."

"You are. In a couple days, you're going into battle against ShadowClan."

"You heard Settingstar. It doesn't make any difference if we win or lose. Bonestar will keep up his lies."

"He could be defeated in the battle."

"Oh please. He's a coward. He won't even show up. I'll bet you Twoclaw will be leading the patrol that comes. And even if he does show, no one's going to take all nine of his lives in one battle. I told you, that's really rare. I don't even know if it's happened. All nine being taken at once, that is."

I sighed. Stupid logic.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

I lashed out at Jaysight, catching him on the ear. Had my claws been unsheathed, I would have torn it open right there.

Without waiting another second, I ducked underneath the blow I felt before I saw coming towards my head, and kicked Jaysight's legs out from under him. He fell to the ground for a moment before regaining his feet, but I had learned that every split second counted.

However, before I could move again, Jaysight shook his head. "All right, enough. You are clearly very skilled."

I forced myself to stand back while he regained his balance.

"Just remember, the warrior code says that warriors do not kill other warriors in battle unless they absolutely _must._"

I nodded. "I understand that." It only made sense, and it made battling slightly easier and less dangerous. Only slightly, though, of course. I understood that I could still get hurt going into this battle. Jaysight continually warned me not to try to take on warriors that were too big or too skilled for me.

"Jaysight," I said. A question had been burning inside me for a long time now. I felt guilty asking it for some reason, possibly because I already knew the answer, and I was just asking to try to get information.

But that was why I was here.

Wasn't it.

"Yes?" Jaysight said.

"What happens… if a cat breaks the warrior code?"

Jaysight was silent for a moment. "It depends. If it's some foolish mistake from an apprentice, they might go without dinner. Maybe a warrior did something even more foolish. He might be confined to camp for a while. But if it is something truly horrible…"

I waited patiently.

"That cat could be banished from the Clan for good."

I pretended to be in a shocked and thoughtful silence for a few moments. Then, I asked. "Has that ever happened while you have been a warrior?"

Jaysight nodded. "Last leaf-fall, actually. Just a year ago. An apprentice named Amberpaw was exiled."

"An apprentice?" I said, shocked. "What for?"

Jaysight turned to look at me. "I don't remember." His eyes showed that he did.

However, I let it drop. I would have to figure out some other way to get him to tell me.

The next day, it was the day of the battle. I had eaten a scrawny bird that was not at all filling, but I knew I couldn't choke down another morsel.

I was nervous.

This would be the first time I had fought alongside other cats. I had fought against groups of cats before, but never as large as what we expected to encounter tonight. This was a completely new experience for me.

The sun was beginning to set as Forestpaw walked up to me. He smiled, but worriedness showed in his eyes. "Good luck tonight."

"Thanks," I said. "Are you helping to defend the camp?"

"Yeah, I'm stationed at the elder's den with Beefuzz. We're supposed to stand outside and guard it," he meowed.

"Let's hope they don't get to camp," I meowed. I didn't want wise Bluefrost or cranky Loudflight to get hurt.

"That's your job," he said, smiling a little. "And from what I've seen, you'll be good at it."

I smiled too. "I'm supposed to stick by Jaysight. I'm on his patrol with Stormblaze, Cloudfall, Pricklepad, and Ashpaw."

Forestpaw nodded. "You should be leaving soon, it looks like." I followed his gaze to see that the three patrols seemed to be gathering already.

I nodded to Forestpaw. "I better go. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Promise?" he meowed. I smiled. He was genuinely worried about me.

"Promise. We'll go hunting when I get back, okay?"

He nodded, forcing a smile back. I padded off to join Jaysight.

I was the second-to-last member of our patrol to arrive, we were still waiting on Pricklepad. I saw him a short distance away, talking to his twin sister, Berrypool. They were Ashpaw's and Spiderpaw's mentors, and would be on separate patrols for this battle, just like their apprentices. Two pairs of littermates separated. Pricklepad and Berrypool nuzzled each other, saying goodbye.

The way these cats were acting, it was clear that this was a serious battle.

Settingstar led the way in silence out of the camp, heading for the Thunderpath. It was a short walk, but the silence made it longer. My thoughts wandered backwards, to the camp where Forestpaw was waiting inside the elder's den, probably worrying about me.

It was worse for him. He couldn't make sure I was safe. However, if any ShadowClan scoundrel headed for the camp, I would tear them to shreds.

When we reached the trees near the Thunderpath, Settingstar gave us instructions. Jaysight's patrol was to climb into the trees to the left. I climbed easily, thanks to a few lessons from Jaysight, and I waited in the same tree as my mentor. We were high enough to be out of reach, but low enough to jump back down with ease.

By the time every cat had made it into the trees, night had fallen. It was dead silent while we waited. I kept my mouth open, my ears pricked, my eyes trained on the moonlit forest floor.

We waited there for half the night with nothing happening. I nearly fell asleep. My legs and back were sore from crouching in the same position all night, and I couldn't feel my paws for clutching the branch I was on so tightly.

Then, at moonhigh, we got the first trace of ShadowClan scent on our tongues.


	16. Chapter 15

_Hey guys! Happy Friday! _

_This was kind of a depressing chapter to write. It was originally over two thousand words, but I cut out part of it to add to the beginning of the next chapter. The part that I relocated was basically the only happy part of the chapter, so... sorry. :( You can read it on Tuesday. _

_Also, thanks for all the predictions! They are a lot of fun to read! Someone made a general but accurate prediction about the upcoming battle, however I don't think anyone predicted exactly what happened... You'll just have to read to find out. _

_Keep reviewing, and enjoy! _

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

There was no rustling of leaves, no creaking of branches, to tell of the ThunderClan cats preparing to attack, but I could tell it was happening. I could feel it. I glanced around at the trees around me, but every cat was invisible. It was impossible to see who was hiding where.

We waited several heartbeats that felt like seasons. Then, the first glimpse of raggedy yellow pelt showed under the moonlight.

_Twoclaw. _

Settingstar waited to give the signal. As he did, I saw several cats following Twoclaw, whose names I did not know. I did not see Eaglestrike or Nightbreeze, however, and was glad, yet unsurprised. Eaglestrike would never follow Twoclaw anywhere, let alone into another Clan's territory.

Settingstar waited until the ShadowClan cats were almost to the back of our ambush spot to yowl out, "ThunderClan, _attack!_"

Swarms of cats leapt out from the trees. I jumped at the same time as Jaysight and landed directly on top of a frosty-white tom. He looked scrawny, but fierce, and he hissed at me when I fell off of him.

I was so surprised by the entire thing that I didn't react. However, before the tom could do anything, he was knocked to the ground by Jaysight, who had landed behind him. I leapt onto the tom's back, raking my claws down his sides. He screeched and wriggled away, running back in the direction he had come from.

"Nice," said Jaysight, above the screeches and yowls around me. "Now, stick with me."

I glanced around. Ashpaw was battling alongside his mentor, Pricklepad, and Cloudfall was tearing at a dark ginger tabby. Stormblaze was taking on two ShadowClan toms at once. I spotted several other Clanmates fighting ShadowClan warriors. Not a single ShadowClan apprentice was there, however. Including Twoclaw, who was currently locked in battle with Leopardclaw, there were about eight ShadowClan warriors. We had thirteen cats total, so it should have been a relatively small but easy battle – however, four of our cats were apprentices, and their cats were all hardened and well-trained warriors, not to mention ruthless.

All the ShadowClan cats were locked in battle, so Jaysight and I rushed to help out Wisptail, a young grey she-cat, who was struggling against another blue-grey she-cat. I slashed the other she-cat, giving her a scratch above her eye. Blood drizzled into her eye, and she hissed and tried to shake it away.

Wisptail sprang lightly over her and bit down on the ShadowClan she-cat's tail before the blue-grey enemy could turn around. The ShadowClan cat yowled in pain, and Jaysight delivered a crushing blow to the shoulder that knocked her over.

Letting her regain her paws, she fled, just as the other tom had. "Thanks!" said Wisptail breathlessly.

Jaysight nodded to her. I looked around again. Only three ShadowClan cats remained, and one was driven off as I watched. The other saw his Clanmates fleeing and turned tail quickly as well.

Twoclaw was the last warrior remaining in the center with Leopardclaw. Both deputies had wounds from each other and were bleeding heavily. The rest of the ThunderClan cats looked relatively okay, most of them unscathed, and the few that bore scratched were not bleeding much at all. Most cats continued fighting, trying to drive off the last couple warriors. Settingstar cautiously approached from behind Leopardclaw.

Twoclaw yowled after his Clanmates. "Cowards! Stay here and fight!"

Leopardclaw was panting with exhaustion. Apparently, the ragged old tom was not as feeble as we thought. The scratches across Leopardclaw's spotted fur proved it. "It's over, Twoclaw. Go back to your own territory, and never bother us again."

Twoclaw hissed. "Never!"

The next few moments were a blur. Leopardclaw lunged at him, but before she even laid a claw on him, Twoclaw ducked forward as well, sinking his teeth into her throat.

"_No!_" Settingstar leapt forward onto Twoclaw. I couldn't see what was happening very clearly, and later when I looked back on it, even the memory seemed blurry and unclear. But in a few heartbeats, everything was still, and the ShadowClan deputy was dead.

The ThunderClan deputy was almost there, too.

Settingstar knelt beside Leopardclaw. I couldn't quite see her, but I could tell she was bleeding heavily, and had but heartbeats left. I saw her say something to Settingstar. It was so quiet, I wondered if even he could hear it, but it looked like her lips were forming the words, "I love you."

Then she was completely still.

Settingstar buried his nose in her fur for a second. Everyone around him was silent and still. The last of ShadowClan were gone from our territory. We were all uncertain of what to do now, awaiting orders from our leader. Some of the cats didn't even know what had happened.

How could it be that so many warriors returned without a scratch, and yet the deputy herself wasn't returning at all?

Finally, Settingstar got up. He looked broken. Far beyond that, actually – he looked _heartbroken. _"Let's carry Leopardclaw back to camp."

"What about Twoclaw?" Thunderfang asked.

"You and Bearfang drag him to the edge of the Thunderpath. If his Clan wants to give the flea-pelt a proper burial, they can come find him."

Settingstar and Jaysight carried Leopardclaw back to camp. The walk was silent and solemn. I felt horrible that I had stood there while Leopardclaw faced Twoclaw alone. Could I have done something?

I knew that in reality, he had moved too fast and unexpectedly for anyone, even Settingstar, who was practically at Leopardclaw's side, to help. It was unbelievable.

When we reached camp, Goldenbird rushed up before she even saw Leopardclaw. She was armed with a mouthful of leaves. When she saw Leopardclaw, her jaw fell open, and the leaves splashed onto the ground, scattering everywhere.

Leopardclaw was brought into the medicine den. I wasn't sure why, since she was long gone. Goldenbird treated other cats' scratches outside.

I waited with Mistypaw, just inside the camp. The warriors were all talking, explaining what had happened to the cats that hadn't been at the battle. Mistypaw and I just leaned against each other. I could tell Mistypaw was even more shell-shocked than I was about the death of Leopardclaw. She had had her as a deputy for much longer than I had.

Soon after, the former deputy was brought back out. The blood had been licked from her pelt, and her eyes had been closed. She almost looked like she could be sleeping. Jaysight whispered from beside me, "When a cat dies, its loved ones gather around and share tongues with it one last time. Leopardclaw was a beloved deputy, most of the Clan will be sitting vigil with her."

Before that, though, Settingstar leapt onto the Highrock. He didn't bother to call to gather the cats, for they were already gathered. "As many of you know, our deputy Leopardclaw was killed in battle tonight by the ShadowClan deputy, Twoclaw."

Murmurs of sadness crossed the camp. Settingstar waited patiently for them to die down.

"Leopardclaw and I had known each other since we were apprentices. She has always been daring, and when she was young she liked to sneak out of the apprentice den at night to go hunting. She was one of the best hunters and fighters this Clan has ever seen, and a natural leader. She never had any interest in having kits or being a queen, but she lives on in the cats she mentored – Wisptail, Coppersun, and Bearfang. She died a warrior's death, defending her Clan in battle, and she watches over us now from StarClan."

He paused, glancing down at the fallen deputy, and then up at StarClan. "I say these words before the body of Leopardclaw, so that her spirit may hear and approve of my choice. Jaysight will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

Jaysight seemed shocked, as did Thunderfang. The big ginger tom looked as if he had expected to be named deputy. Jaysight stepped forward in surprise. "I will do my best to serve my Clan."

The Clan cheered and chanted his name. I was the loudest. My mentor was the deputy of ThunderClan! I couldn't be more proud. He was an obvious choice, too – he was a senior warrior, he was strong and skilled, and also intelligent.

Suddenly, though, I caught sight of Stormblaze. He lurked in the shadows, which seemed to be a pattern for him, staring straight at me, as always. His stare was full of accusation.

_He can't possibly think I had something to do with Leopardclaw's death, could he? _

I shook that ridiculous thought away and looked back at Settingstar as the cheers died down. I decided to pretend Stormblaze didn't exist for the time being.

When silence finally settled again, it was time for Leopardclaw's vigil to begin. It was a short time till dawn, but that wasn't stopping Settingstar and the Clan. Settingstar took his place beside the fallen deputy's head. Other cats swarmed around her. Queens, elders, warriors, apprentices, even kits sat beside her. I joined them.

We all sat there for the rest of the night. I felt so tired, but I didn't dare sleep. I kept looking up at the stars, wondering if Leopardclaw was up there, looking down at us. In the morning, Bluefrost and Loudflight took her away to be buried. Crushing silence settled on the Clan.

I found Forestpaw, and he looked awful and exhausted. I realized I probably did too. I hadn't slept at all last night or the day before.

"Tired, huh?" he said, the exhaustion showing in his voice.

I could only nod.

We ended up falling asleep right there, in the middle of camp, curled up together, because we were both so tired.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Forestpaw and I were nudged awake when Settingstar called a Clan meeting. We were still right where we had fallen asleep, curled up right in the middle of camp. Settingstar's call seemed loud and startling after the somber silence of the morning and night before. It was exactly sunhigh when he called us all beneath the Highrock.

Settingstar stood on the Highrock, looking a great deal better than he had earlier this morning. "In light of what happened yesterday, there is something I must do now. Mistypaw, Ashpaw, and Spiderpaw, please step forward."

I saw excitement glint in each of their eyes as they stepped forward, and I realized what must be happening. They were becoming warriors.

"You each fought like warriors in the battle, and I think it's about time for you to receive your warrior names." Settingstar paused. "StarClan, I call on you to look down on these three apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Do each of you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The three had shining eyes as they each replied in one single chorus, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Mistypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Mistyfur. StarClan honors your loyalty and your compassion, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Settingstar rested his muzzle on Mistypaw's head, and she licked his shoulder. Then the leader stepped back and faced Ashpaw.

"Ashpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ashclaw. StarClan honors your bravery and your determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

The shoulder-licking ceremony was repeated with Ashclaw before moving to Spiderpaw. The skinny apprentice's eyes shone, and he looked as if he was worried that he might have been skipped over and not received his warrior name like his littermates. He had always been quieter than them, but had worked just as hard.

"Spiderpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Spiderpelt. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and your kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Mistyfur! Ashclaw! Spiderpelt!" I cheered along with the rest of the Clan.

However, Settingstar didn't end the meeting just yet. "One last thing," he meowed, "before we all go. Now that we have three new warriors, our apprentice den will be rather empty. Lionkit, Shimmerkit, and Quietkit."

Softflight's kits stepped through the crowd, away from their mother and the nursery. The two golden ones were bouncing up and down with excitement, while the black tom, Quietkit, looked more subdued and in awe.

"These kits have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for them to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you have earned your warrior names, you will be known as Lionpaw, Shimmerpaw, and Quietpaw. Wisptail, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be caring and loyal, and I trust you will pass on these qualities to Lionpaw.

"Fuzzyfur, you are ready for an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be trustworthy and courageous, and I trust you will pass on these qualities to Shimmerpaw.

"Lastly, Shadebird. You have proven to be skilled and intelligent, and I trust you will pass on these qualities to Quietpaw."

Each mentor stepped forward to touch noses with their new apprentices.

"Lionpaw! Shimmerpaw! Quietpaw!"

I cheered along with them. The apprentices were bouncing up and down with excitement. Their eyes shone, and they looked overwhelmingly happy.

It was hard to believe this joyful, celebrating Clan was the same saddened and somber one from last night. Every cat had a smile on their face as we welcomed new warriors, new apprentices, new mentors.

The next day, I was battle training with Jaysight, Thunderfang, and Forestpaw. The warriors wanted us to be prepared if there was another battle. I think it was mostly Forestpaw that needed the training, but they didn't want him to feel like he was behind because he trained alone all the time.

In the middle of the training session, Settingstar walked up, interrupting. "May I speak with you, Lightningpaw?"

Terror immediately coursed through me. Goldenbird must have told him. Or maybe Stormblaze had voiced his suspicions. Something had to be up. What else could the Clan leader want to talk to me about?

I replied with a casual, "Sure," that came out as a terrified yelp. I tried to breathe evenly and flatten my fur as I followed him.

He led me to the edge of the clearing, away from the rest of the cats. "Lightningpaw, I want to know if you have any idea of what's going on."

"What?" I asked, surprised. I had fully expected to be found out. Now I didn't even know what he was talking about.

"This business with ShadowClan."

"Why would I know anything more than you do?" I was confused. What made him think I knew something was up? Maybe Stormblaze _had _said something.

Settingstar sighed and sat down. "I don't know. Never mind. Goldenbird said StarClan spoke to her about you, but I guess that doesn't really mean that you know anything."

My eyes widened. Goldenbird _had _told Settingstar, at least something. "Uh… what exactly did Goldenbird tell you?"

"Just that you were part of some prophecy," said Settingstar. "She never gets the whole story from StarClan, and even if she did, I don't think she would share it with me."

"Why not?"

Settingstar laughed. I'm not sure why. "Medicine cats can be… slightly odd." He turned to me. "Speaking of which, on the half-moon Goldenbird is heading to the Moonstone to meet with the other medicine cats and speak with StarClan. I'd like you to escort her to the edge of ThunderClan territory."

"Why does she need an escort in our own territory?" I asked, trying not to sound like I was complaining, because I was truly curious. When Settingstar said "half-moon" my thoughts went back to the Gathering, when I had promised to meet Eaglestrike on that very night. I hadn't really thought about that since then.

"Just in case," meowed Settingstar, but I could tell he was hiding something. What could he know that might make crossing our own territory unsafe on that night?

I thought again of the Gathering, when I had seen Settingstar frowning while speaking with Bonestar. Could it have anything to do with that?

"Okay," I said. It wouldn't take long to escort Goldenbird, and I could head over to Fourtrees to meet Eaglestrike right after.

"Thank you, Lightningpaw," said Settingstar. "And please don't worry about this prophecy business. If StarClan sent it, it should all make sense eventually. However, if you do find anything out about ShadowClan, please come and speak with me."

I nodded, not sure if I actually would. I might have something to share after the half-moon meeting with Eaglestrike, but could I really trust Settingstar? He was, after all, the one who had exiled me all those moons ago.

Of course, for all I knew, that could very well have been justified.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

On the evening of the half-moon, I was sitting near the camp exit, fidgeting nervously as I waited for Goldenbird. I was also watching Settingstar. He sat near his den, watching the sky, his expression unreadable. Just as the sun touched the horizon, he jumped up and headed for the camp entrance. I watched him brush past me and set out.

It was then that I realized I hadn't been the only one watching him. Stormblaze narrowed his eyes at Settingstar's fleeing figure and soon followed, brushing past me just as our leader had, and taking no notice of me at all.

I watched them go. Something was obviously going on. My paws itched to follow them, but I had instructions to escort Goldenbird. Jaysight had taught me by now that whatever _you _want to do can wait, orders come first. Besides, who knows, maybe Stormblaze has it under control.

Goldenbird finally exited her den and came over to me. "Let's go," she said, and we set out.

The first half of the walk to the edge of territory was dead silent. I wasn't supposed to escort her any further than necessary, but the walk still felt long. Halfway there, she broke the silence with, "I don't know why Settingstar thought I needed an escort in my own territory."

I chuckled nervously. "He's been acting weird," I offered.

She nodded. "I was blaming it on Leopardclaw's death. Those two were very fond of each other. But I'm not so sure."

"I think it started before she died," I meowed, and found myself telling her all about seeing him at the Gathering talking to Bonestar, my meeting with Eaglestrike, and finally, him leaving camp just before me with Stormblaze following.

By the time I finished, we were at the WindClan border. She would have to cross through their territory to reach the Moonstone, where she would supposedly meet with StarClan. Before she crossed, though, she looked at me with a worried expression.

"Do me a favor and go find out what he's up to? You can meet with Eaglestrike afterwards. This could be much more important."

I nodded, agreeing. I had been itching to find out what was up with him since I saw him leaving. "On it."

"I wonder if StarClan will provide any guidance tonight… perhaps I'll confide in Silvertail…"

"Silvertail?"

"My former mentor and the RiverClan medicine cat. He took over when my mentor died before my apprenticeship was over."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Goldenbird said. "Now, go on. We both have important matters to attend to."

I went back towards camp, and then followed Settingstar's and Stormblaze's trails. They weren't hard to pick up on. That wasn't what surprised me, though. What surprised me was where they were headed: ShadowClan territory.

_No way. _There was no way I believed that they were in on this whole thing with ShadowClan. It just couldn't be.

It had to be something else.

When I drew close to the Thunderpath, I suddenly stumbled – quite literally – upon Stormblaze hiding in the undergrowth nearby.

"Shh!" he hissed. I yelped in surprise. Leaves rustled as I tumbled to the ground.

Stormblaze held me down with his paw on my back. He growled into my ear. "Get up quietly, don't make a sound."

His weight lifted from my back, and I did as I was told, wondering what he was going to do to me. Where was Settingstar during all this?

However, when I stood up and turned around, he was crouched by the bushes again, staring out towards the Thunderpath. Hesitantly, I joined him, looking out in the direction he was looking.

It took everything in me to hold in a gasp of shock.

Settingstar's scarlet pelt stood out against the grey of the Thunderpath. So did Bonestar's cream fur.

"What's happening?" I whispered to Stormblaze.

"I don't know," he said. "They're just… talking."

"Settingstar is standing way too close to the path," I muttered. Stormblaze nodded in agreement. I looked at him. "If Bonestar tries anything, we'll jump out and save Settingstar, right?"

"That was the idea," Stormblaze muttered.

Bonestar was smiling and saying something.

"What was that?" I whispered.

"I think it was, 'Even if you have warriors hiding in the bushes to help you, there's nothing they'll be able to do.'"

"_What_?"

"Listen!" Stormblaze hissed, suddenly looking, panic-stricken, into the distance.

And I did. I heard it.

The rumble of an approaching monster.

I saw Bonestar take one step forward. Settingstar taking one step back. His amber eyes lit with fear. He didn't hear the monster. He was too focused on what he thought was the real danger – Bonestar. One more step. He was way too close.

Bonestar said something else. This time I heard it loud and clear, even over the roar of the monster. "Time to join your mate, Settingstar."

I saw the monster come into view. Stormblaze and I had realized what was coming way too late. We saw it tearing down the Thunderpath. We saw Settingstar catch sight of it. We saw him try to run.

He wasn't fast enough.

_Hey all, this is a shorter chapter, sort of, but not short enough that I'm gonna give you two. Sorry!_

_(As always) I want to thank EVERYONE who reviews my story! I really, truly appreciate it!_

_Enjoy this chapter, and enjoy your weekend. :) I'll see you all on Tuesday. _

_-Izrose17_


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Stormblaze very nearly leapt out of the undergrowth and raced towards Bonestar. He looked like he was about to tear the cream tom's throat out. I stopped him before he could jump out into sight.

"If Bonestar sees you, he'll kill you!" I hissed. Stormblaze sank his claws deep into the soft ground, but didn't move.

"So we're supposed to sit here while he just walks off?" he hissed.

"Yes!" I meowed. "Then we go get help!"

Bonestar was smiling eerily as he walked back to his territory. I wondered for a moment if he was just plain insane. But that trap had been too carefully planned to be the work of a crazy old cat.

We both waited several heartbeats, then I straightened and stood up. I had no idea why I wasn't in a complete panic mode right now. Stormblaze seemed shaken to his core. However, I was completely calm.

"Go get Jaysight," I said. "Tell him what happened and bring a patrol here, as fast as you can."

He blinked at me, slowly processing what I had just said. Then he nodded, and something seemed to click in his mind. He raced off into the forest.

I raced off in a different direction, toward Fourtrees.

Eaglestrike smiled when he saw me approach. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."

"No time!" I gasped. "Bonestar… trap… Settingstar… dead!" I was out of breath from running, and I could barely get the words out. Eaglestrike seemed to understand, though.

"Where?"

"Follow me," I said, and led the way back to the Thunderpath. Stormblaze wasn't back yet. I wasn't surprised. It would take some time to explain the situation.

Eaglestrike and I rushed over to Settingstar to confirm what I already knew was true. No heartbeat. He had been killed instantly. All his lives in a split second.

The tawny tom raked the ground with his claws. "Bonestar," he hissed, "will pay for this."

It was then that Jaysight and Stormblaze's patrol came bursting from the trees. Jaysight raced towards Settingstar and knelt beside him. Jaysight's expression was pure despair as he realized what I had already known – Settingstar was walking with StarClan now.

"What's _that _doing here?" hissed Stormblaze at the sight of Eaglestrike.

Jaysight lashed his tail in annoyance for a moment. "There's no time for that, Stormblaze. Right now we must get Settingstar home."

Stormblaze softened. Eaglestrike helped him carry Settingstar. That was about when the panic set in and I fully realized what had happened. Being calm was out of the question. I turned around and ran into the forest. I heard Eaglestrike call after me, but I kept running. I wasn't keen on the idea of being in camp when they brought Settingstar back. Cats would be heartbroken, and furious with Bonestar. There would be a raid on the ShadowClan camp unless Jaysight took charge.

I finally reached Fourtrees, before I even knew I was headed there. I flopped down at the foot of the Great Rock. I was exhausted from running, and I felt like I hadn't slept in ages. My eyes drifted shut before I was even aware of it.

_When I opened my eyes, the clearing suddenly seemed different. The faded scents of the cats that had gathered a half-moon ago were nonexistent, and the stars shined brighter from a darker sky. Mist hung low in the clearing, but out of the mist stepped a slight, jet-black she-cat. _

_"Greetings," she meowed, her amber gaze gentle. She looked familiar somehow… but I couldn't place how I knew her. She smelled faintly of ThunderClan, but I knew for a fact I hadn't seen her in camp. _

_"Am I dreaming?" I asked. _

_"Yes," she replied. "I am Rainstep of StarClan, formerly a warrior of ThunderClan." _

_"Who are you?" I said. I still couldn't quite place where I had seen her. _

_She laughed at me. "I just told you. Rainstep." _

_I had to keep from rolling my eyes. "No, I mean… where have I seen you before?" _

_Her bright expression faltered for a moment. "You don't recognize me? At all?" _

_I shook my head. "Can't you just tell me?" I was trying my hardest to place it – where I had met this she-cat – but I just couldn't figure it out. _

_Without saying a word, she stepped forward and touched her nose to mine. Instantly, the dream turned into something slightly different – a memory. _

_I was standing in the ThunderClan nursery, off to the side, invisible. In front of me was Rainstep, sleeping in her nest, curled around two black kits. It was clearly nighttime – moonlight shone through the cracks in the den walls. _

_As I watched, a great big black-and-white tom appeared in the doorway of the nursery, his pawsteps silent. He nudged Rainstep gently. She woke up almost instantly, her head shooting upright to look around. _

_"Thorn!" she meowed. "What are you doing here?" _

_"I wanted to meet my kits," the big tom purred. _

_Rainstep relaxed a little – only a little - and sat up so that Thorn could see her kits. One of them was a she-cat, the other a tom. The she-cat looked like me – black with white paws and muzzle – and the tom was similar, but without the white on his face. I couldn't recognize the tom at first, but I figured the she-kit must have been me – Amberkit. _

_"They're beautiful. What are their names?" meowed Thorn softly. I realized that he must be my father. _

_"The girl is Amberkit," mewed Rainstep, pointing with her tail, "And the boy is Stormkit." _

_What? _

_I stared at the tomkit, curled up next to me, sleeping soundly. Two little balls of black fur. Stormkit had his chin resting on Amberkit's head. _

_Stormkit? As in Stormblaze? _

_How could I have not seen it before? He looked so much like me… _

_Thorn's voice interrupted my racing thoughts. _

_"Those are perfect names," he purred. _

_Rainstep was quiet for a moment. "Thorn, I don't think you should come visit them anymore." _

_Thorn looked startled. "What? Why?" _

_"It'll be too confusing for them if they know their father is a rogue. It could be hard for them to be loyal Clan warriors."_

_Thorn was quiet for a moment. "I understand. But what will you tell them if they ask about me?" _

_"I'll say you died before they were born," Rainstep said. She clearly had thought this through beforehand. "Thorn, you know it's nothing about you or us…" _

_"I know. You're right," he meowed. He reached out and nuzzled her. "Goodbye, Rainstep." _

_And just like that, he was gone, as silently as he had left. _

_"Stormblaze is my brother?" I hissed at Rainstep when the memory disappeared and the dream returned. _

_She looked amused. "That's the first question you ask?" _

_"I don't believe this," I said, ignoring her._

_"Believe it or not, it's true," she meowed. "You two were so close." _

_I stared at her. "Close? He hates me!" _

_"He doesn't remember you." _

_"So?" _

_"Remind him. Then he won't hate you." _

_I was silent for a moment. Would that really work? _

_Then my thoughts drifted to Thorn. _

_"What about Thorn? My father was a rogue?" _

_"Yes. You're so much like him. I was watching over you, living on your own. You were both so strong, acting like you didn't need anyone else," said Rainstep. _

_"What do you mean, 'acting'?" _

_Rainstep laughed. "He didn't need anyone, I guess. Until he fell in love with me." _

_For some reason, I suddenly thought of Forestpaw. Changing the subject, I said, "Where is he now?" _

_"In StarClan, with me," she said. _

_"I didn't know rogues went to StarClan." _

_"Not always," she meowed. "But he practically lived with ThunderClan for a while, when I was expecting my kits." _

_Once again, I fell silent. "Why are you showing me this now?" I asked her. After the death of a deputy and then the murder of a leader, a StarClan cat decided to visit me in my dreams… to tell me about my family? _

_"You need to understand your past to be prepared for your future," meowed Rainstep. I nodded as if that made any sense at all. She said something else, hardly audible as the clearing became blurry and the dream began to fade. _


	20. Chapter 19

_Hey everyone! Aren't you glad it's Friday? I sure am! I can't wait to hang out with my friends*, go outside*, and catch up on homework*!_

_(* sleep)_

_Haha... but jokes aside, as always, thanks to all you who reviewed! I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate it!_

_Special note to Nic-n'-Nyx: I do not mind your advice at all! In fact, I truly appreciate it! And I am grateful that you tell me things I am doing well in addition to things I could improve upon, with examples on how I could improve them! _

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

When I opened my eyes, I was back in Fourtrees. I could tell I wasn't dreaming anymore by the feeling of rain in my fur. The sun was up – it was sunhigh now. By now, Jaysight had probably left for the Moonstone to receive his nine lives, and Settingstar's vigil had ended. I felt bad for missing it, but I knew I wouldn't have been able to stand it either.

It was raining lightly as I stood and stretched. Suddenly I heard a voice calling me from the trees of ThunderClan territory.

"Lightningpaw! Lightningpaw!" It was Forestpaw. He was looking for me. How long had he been out, wondering where I was?

I was about to run to find him, but something stopped me. I stepped back and hid behind the Great Rock. I listened for Forestpaw and heard him burst into the clearing, glance around quickly, before running back in another direction.

I stepped back out when his pawsteps faded into the distance. I had no idea why I had hidden from him just now. What had made me decide not to go running back to him and to ThunderClan?

I glanced over at ShadowClan territory, where Bonestar remained alive and well with his little group of cats that would follow him. What he was planning, I could only guess. However, Eaglestrike was there too, possibly gaining support from the rest of his Clan, and preparing to take Bonestar down if he tried something.

Rain began to fall harder as I stared off towards the marshy territory of ShadowClan. Suddenly, through the rain, I saw the outline of a cat walking towards the ShadowClan border. I squinted, stepping forward a little, trying to make it out. It looked like just the outline of a cat – a shadow where there were no raindrops, but no cat either. However, I recognized the outline – it was Rainstep.

The shadow-cat turned, looking straight at me. It beckoned with its tail, and then continued walking in the same direction – towards ShadowClan. Then, it disappeared.

Not sure whether or not I had imagined it, I followed the shadow across ShadowClan's border.

My heart raced as I crept through the marsh. The rain had subsided. I was trying hard to avoid being seen, but it was… surprisingly easy. There was not a cat in sight. Not even a scent.

Even so, I jumped at even the slightest sound until I was deep into ShadowClan territory. Only when I was nearing the camp did I finally catch a whiff of ShadowClan scent. I crept towards the firm walls carefully, focused, listening.

Suddenly, a flash of bright orange fur knocking into me, shoving me underneath a bush. Before I had time to get to my paws and fight back, a paw was placed on my chest, another over my mouth.

Eaglestrike's face appeared above me. "Shh!" he said. "You want us all to get killed?"

"What?" I said, but it was muffled by his paw. A bright orange apprentice walked up, probably the cat that had knocked me over.

"You know her?" the apprentice meowed.

Eaglestrike nodded. "She can be trusted," he said as he let me get up. I did so carefully, and then looked around. My eyes widened in surprise. We were surrounded by ShadowClan cats.

No, not really. There were only a certain number here. I could see a dark tom, a long-legged light brown she-cat, and two small she-cats – one of which I recognized as Nightbreeze, and the other of which was a tortoiseshell. Lastly, there was one elder, a light grey she-cat that looked tired and frail.

We were still a short distance from camp, but not nearly a safe distance. If Eaglestrike was hiding these cats, he wasn't doing a good job.

"Not a very good hiding spot, Eaglestrike," I commented aloud to him.

"Actually, Bonestar and his cronies haven't left the camp all day. Not for patrols, not for hunting. They're planning something, and we need to be able to spy on them to figure out what it is."

I looked around. The cats around me looked desperate, hopeless, and miserable. The she-cats were all huddled together. The only tom there besides Eaglestrike and the apprentice was crouching by himself, looking around warily. The orange apprentice, the only apprentice there, looked determined, but past that slightly frightened. The only brave face in the little cluster of cats belonged to the old light grey she-cat. She might have looked frail, but the look in her eyes wasn't scared at all. Of course, she could have just been insane.

She hobbled over to Eaglestrike and me. "Eaglestrike, what's this ThunderClan cat doing here?"

"I don't know," replied Eaglestrike. "But I'd imagine she wants to help us."

I nodded to the light grey elder. "I… think I received a sign from StarClan. My mother visited me in a dream, and when I woke up I thought I saw her leading me towards ShadowClan territory."

"That does sound like a sign," a new voice sounded from the bushes. A bright ginger she-cat I hadn't seen before stepped out. "You must be important if StarClan sent you here."

"Lightningpaw, this is Flameflower, ShadowClan's apprentice medicine cat. Her mentor, Scarfang, is trapped inside camp," Eaglestrike explained to me.

"Hi," I said, nodding to her. "Um… why do you think StarClan sent me here?"

To my surprise, she just shrugged. "Beats me," she meowed. "But there must be a reason."

"How enlightening," I muttered. Then I turned back to Eaglestrike. "So… what exactly are you trying to do at the moment?"

"Bonestar has basically taken over the camp. He's keeping some of our allies prisoner in their own camp, and he seems to be preparing for something. What we want to do is first, rescue those cats that are on our side, and second, find out what he's up to."

I ran back through everything I knew of Bonestar. He had murdered Settingstar, and for all I knew, he could have murdered Blizzardstar, since the details of the ShadowClan leader's death were suspicious. He was probably the one behind that group of ShadowClan cats that continually entered our territory at night, and he had lied about it. He had also made a suspicious choice of deputy – but he chose a cat that he knew would follow him and only him.

It looked like… he had succeeded in becoming the leader of ShadowClan, and his next target was ThunderClan.

"I have an idea about what Bonestar might be up to," I said. I told them everything I had been thinking. It made perfect sense – him gathering followers, the suspicious death of the ShadowClan leader, followed by the conspicuous choice of deputy. And then there was him entering our territory, lying about it, and then murdering our leader.

Eaglestrike nodded. "Impressive thinking, Lightningpaw. You just might be right. It certainly all fits together."

Flameflower nodded in agreement. "We still need to go in that camp. Let's try and see what's going on inside there, and then we can make rescue plans."

"And let's-all-go-kill-Bonestar plans," agreed Eaglestrike, actually grinning a little. "I'll get a small patrol together to try to sneak around the camp and see what's up. Lightningpaw, will you be part of that patrol?"

"Sure," I said. Eaglestrike nodded and walked off, coming back moments later with a small tortoiseshell she-cat and a big black tom. "This is Duskclaw and Runningshadow."

I nodded in greeting. "Hello," I said.

Duskclaw merely snorted at me, but Runningshadow smiled shyly. Eaglestrike flicked his tail, leading the patrol away from the little cluster of cats, and then towards the ShadowClan camp. The ground was muddy and marshy underneath my feet, and there was less undergrowth than I was used to, but on the bright side, for once it wasn't raining anymore. I trudged along with Duskclaw and Runningshadow, following Eaglestrike, which only seemed natural. He appeared to have taken the lead in his mini-Clan.

When we reached the edge of the ShadowClan camp, it seemed that we were near the entrance. Eaglestrike whispered quickly to us, "Stay together, and stay out of sight. We'll walk around the camp and learn what we can."

We began stalking around the edge. We would peer through the brambles, keep our ears pricked for voices, and our mouths open for scents. It was startlingly quiet in the camp – way too quiet. Around the leader's den, I could just see Bonestar's huge cream form through the walls, and I shuddered at the sight.

The first time we heard something was when we were halfway around the camp. Runningshadow whispered that we were close to the medicine den. I listened with my ear nearly touching the brambles, being careful not to prick myself. Scattering blood droplets and leaving my fur on the wall would certainly be noticeable.

"We have to get out of here," it was a young tom's voice, hushed and breathless. I could see his white pelt through the wall.

"How?" grumbled an older voice, perhaps one of the elders. "We've got numbers, sure, but less than half of us are fighters. They've got us under heavy guard at all times. There's nothing we can do."

"Eaglestrike, Flameflower and the others escaped. They'll be coming for us, I know it," meowed another young voice, this time a she-cat's.

"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure? I wouldn't be so eager to come back into Bonestar's reach," said another voice.

"Eaglestrike wouldn't leave me here," said the she-cat with complete confidence. "And he wouldn't abandon his Clan."

I glanced over at the tawny tom. He was peering through the bramble wall, desperately trying to glimpse the she-cat, who must have been his mate.

The other tom agreed. "No, Eaglestrike will protect his friends, family, and Clan with his life. Even if none of the others wanted to, he would have come back by himself to save us."

The elders were silent for a moment. "So that's your plan? Wait for Eaglestrike to come rescue us?"

The white tom sighed. "I guess. I don't know. Let me think this through." He paused. "Eaglestrike would know what to do. He'd have a plan to break us out of here this very night."

Just then, Eaglestrike ducked underneath the wall, through a small hole he'd been pawing at this entire time without us noticing. From behind the barrier, I heard him say, "You're right, Whiteclaw. I do have a plan."


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

I was sitting inside the ShadowClan medicine den, off to the side while Clanmates were reunited. Whiteclaw and Snowtail were the names of the two cats inside the medicine den, and they were the only warriors. With them was one elder, Frosty-eyes, the medicine cat, Scarfang, two queens named Splashpelt and Sorrelflight, and two other warriors that were not in the best condition. These two were named Freezebreath and Wildheart. Wildheart had a scratch along his flank and a torn ear, both of which were wrapped heavily in cobwebs. Freezebreath was worse off, for he couldn't even stand. His left hind leg appeared broken, and he was covered from nose to tail in scratches.

These eight cats were all crammed into one den, and now four more cats were piled in with them. It was hard to even breathe, and I considered leaving to wait outside. I figured, though, that I should hear Eaglestrike's plan, for apparently it was news to all of us except him.

"Why'd you bring a ThunderClan cat, Eaglestrike?" meowed Freezebreath grouchily.

Runningshadow answered. "StarClan sent her to us. She said her mother led her to where we were hiding, and Eaglestrike said he knew her."

"We met at the Gathering," added Eaglestrike.

Scarfang turned to look at me. I shrank against his stare. He was a complete opposite to Flameflower. His fur was dark, rusty red, and his yellow eyes were glowing in eerie way. His pelt was covered in scars, and he didn't look like a medicine cat, he looked like an elder that should have joined StarClan long ago.

"Ah, yes. Amberpaw, is it?"

I looked away in discomfort. "Uh, no, Lightningpaw," I said nervously. Had StarClan been telling him about me too? Did all the medicine cats know my secrets?

"Liar!" Scarfang's sharp yowl made us all jump. All eyes turned to me. My pelt burned in nervousness, I didn't know what to say.

"Uh… well, it used to be Amberpaw. Now it's Lightningpaw, okay?"

Scarfang's eyes narrowed at me. He stared me down for a long while before finally muttering, "Fine." Then, he turned to Eaglestrike. "So, tell us about this plan of yours."

"First, I'll need you to tell me everything you know about the current camp situation," Eaglestrike said.

Snowtail helped us out here. She explained that after Twoclaw had been found dead beside the Thunderpath, and Bonestar's cats had returned in horrible condition, Bonestar had announced to the entire Clan his plans. Snowtail didn't say his exact words, but he essentialy said that he wanted to take over all the Clans, starting with ThunderClan, and create one giant empire to rule the forest. He made it sound reasonable, like it would get rid of pointless battles and skirmishes, but his plans for combining the Clans were violent and ambitious. He planned to kill any cat that didn't agree. He asked the warriors that had not joined him to do so. A couple of them did, and those that didn't were imprisoned immediately, along with those he considered useless, like elders. Splashpelt and Sorrelflight's kits had been taken from them, to be apprenticed way too early. Freezebreath and Wildheart had resisted being imprisoned, and that's how they had been injured.

In addition, Bonestar was getting warriors any way he could, taking in ruthless rogues with no respect for the warrior code. He was planning an invasion of ThunderClan very soon, and that's what the investigations on our territory had been about. He wasn't sending them anymore, he was only preparing. Warriors were expected to hunt for themselves and only themselves. A ruthless fighter with no skill in strategy or thinking was named deputy, his name Tanglesnake. Two sets of guards were constantly outside the medicine den, one for daytime and one for night. Each guard consisted of four strong warriors. They brought prey once a day, but not nearly enough, and Scarfang was out of herbs to treat Freezebreath and Wildheart.

"I have an idea," meowed Eaglestrike when Snowtail was done. "But for it to work, you will all have to stay in here and not make a sound until I come back to get you. In the meantime, you all need to rest and prepare to leave. Tonight."

Eaglestrike left the den after explaining his plan, and receiving what supplies he would need from Scarfang. While he was gone, I figured I might as well get some sleep, since I felt like I hadn't slept in ages.

Runningshadow nudged me awake when darkness fell. We were about to see whether or not Eaglestrike would succeed at his mission. At sunset, the guard changed, and at moonhigh, we heard Eaglestrike's voice outside the den, coming from inside the camp.

"Hey, guys," he said to the guards, talking to them like old friends.

"What's up, Eaglestrike?" meowed one of the toms. "Glad you finally decided to come back and join us today."

"Me too," smiled Eaglestrike. "I hated being on my own without my Clan."

We all waited in tense silence.

"What'ya got there, handsome?" A she-cat's voice. Snowtail stiffened when she called Eaglestrike "handsome".

"I caught some mice for you guys," said Eaglestrike. "Thought you'd get hungry."

"Thanks."

I heard the faint sounds of voices as the cats dug in. Eventually, though, the voices died away, and there was only a soft thud as each one fell to the ground, dead asleep.

Eaglestrike stepped into the den through the entrance, grinning broadly. "Poppy seeds," he laughed. "They worked! Let's get out of here!"

We all grinned and left the den, looking down at the fallen warriors as we did. One poppy seed was perfect for dulling pain and causing drowsiness. Eaglestrike had added two to each warrior's mouse. They would be in a heavy sleep for a while.

Freezebreath had to lean on Duskclaw to walk, but everyone else could walk by themselves. Our group made our way hastily out of camp. A collective breath of relief was let out when we finally left.

We headed back to the makeshift camp, where the loyal ShadowClan warriors waited. The return of their friends was well celebrated, but Eaglestrike interrupted the happy reunion by raising his head and calling, "Let all cats still loyal to the warriors code join me here beneath StarClan for a Clan meeting!"

A few cats laughed at this makeshift call, and Eaglestrike smiled, but many took it completely seriously.

"We cannot remain this close to Bonestar. He is plotting to take over the Clans, one at a time, starting with ThunderClan. I have decided," he said, pausing, "that we must warn ThunderClan. Sunhigh tomorrow, we will head straight to their camp. If they choose to trust us, I will propose that we join forces against Bonestar in exchange for letting us stay at their camp."

Freezebreath chuckled halfheartedly. "Come on, who died and made you leader, mouse-brain?" He said it jokingly, but half the cats there turned to glare at him, not giving a piece of dirt about the fact that he was injured.

"If you think there is a cat better suited to lead us, so be it. Does anyone think someone else should lead?" Eaglestrike waited for someone to speak up.

After a few heartbeats of silence, Snowtail meowed, "Eaglestrike is the bravest and most loyal among us. We all trust him to lead, correct?"

Meows of agreement rose from every cat, and Freezebreath nodded too. "I was only joking. Sorry."

Eaglestrike nodded. "So, do we all agree with this plan?"

Another chorus of agreeing mews came from the cats gathered.

"Very well, we will depart tomorrow. Take the last bit of nighttime to rest, everyone. We must be ready to leave at sunhigh."

I tried to make a comfortable spot to sleep, but with difficulty. Runningshadow invited Snowtail and I to a sort of makeshift den she shared with Nightbreeze and a she-cat called Heatherberry. I gratefully agreed and joined them.

All four of the ShadowClan she-cats were very friendly towards me. They asked about my life in ThunderClan – my friends, my training. Eventually the conversation turned to toms, as I knew it would. Nightbreeze had previously had a mate, Owltalon, but he had joined Bonestar and she no longer cared for him. Heatherberry had a crush on Duskclaw. Runningshadow was Whiteclaw's mate, and Snowtail was Eaglestrike's. Once I learned this about each of them, they all wanted to know if _I _had a special tom back in ThunderClan.

"Well… sort of," I said. I knew I'd have to explain more after saying that, so I don't know what made me say it. I guess I just liked spending time with these she-cats, just like I liked spending time with Mistyfur.

"Oh oh oh!" purred Heatherberry. "Tell us more, now please!"

I laughed. "Well… his name is Forestpaw. He… well, I think he likes me, but I'm not sure if I like him or not."

"Tell us about him," said Runningshadow.

"He's a grey tabby, about my age. He has these really bright green eyes…" I trailed off a moment, then caught myself. "He's still learning to hunt and fight, but he's super intelligent, and kind. He comforts me when I have nightmares or bad days…"

"It sounds like you _do _like him," purred Snowtail. We all giggled. I wondered if I really did like Forestpaw. If I did, what did that mean? Would we become mates? Have kits, after all this is over?

I didn't want to think about it. The subject was changed, and eventually we all drifted off to sleep.

Of course, though, Forestpaw just had to appear in my dreams. It was bits and fragments of moments that hadn't happened, but they were happy, perfect moments. Us laughing and playing in the sandy hollow. Sitting together in the branches of a tree watching the sun set. Me staring into his eyes, not seeing anything else expect that bright green…

I vaguely heard Rainstep's voice, from when she was telling me about Thorn. She had said that he hadn't needed anybody, until he fell in love with her.

I don't need anybody.

Except maybe Forestpaw.


	22. Chapter 21

_Hey all! Different POV chapter, you know the drill. Super short, extra full-length chapter coming today as well, yada yada yada... _

_As always, I know this gets annoying, but thanks SO MUCH for all the wonderful reviews! One thing I keep getting asked is whether or not you are going to find out what Amberpaw/Lightningpaw ever did to become exiled. My answer is: probably, but towards the end of the story. So be patient!_

_Also, if you're wondering when that end will be, I put a rough estimate on my profile page about how many chapters I THINK there will be and when I THINK the last chapter/epilogue will be published. (I'm not just trying to get you to visit my profile, because there's not really a point to that, I'm just telling you where that information is). _

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One – ****_Eaglestrike_**

_The well-muscled tawny tom stepped out of the shadows. He leapt onto a small rock, looking across his mini-camp. They were almost a Clan. They had medicine cats, elders, queens, warriors; an apprentice… all that was missing was a leader. _

_Or was it? He knew that a pawful of cats were now considering him the rightful leader of ShadowClan, since Bonestar obviously wasn't fit to lead, and neither was Tanglesnake. They all believed Eaglestrike when he said he would stop Bonestar, and they all assumed, maybe even subconsciously, that he would lead them after that. _

_He was leading them already. He had come up with a plan, gone straight into danger to protect his warriors. Eaglestrike had never felt so scared in his own camp than when he went to Bonestar and said he wanted to join the Clan. Eaglestrike smiled thorough the dark at the thought of Bonestar discovering his betrayal. _

_Bonestar wouldn't send out a search. It was too close to the battle with ThunderClan. But would he start the battle early, in hope that Eaglestrike had already joined forces with them? Kill two birds with one stone? _

_A flash of white sliding out from a makeshift den caught Eaglestrike's attention. "Snowtail," he purred. His mate sat down beside him. _

_"Eaglestrike," she said, "you've forgotten something. We can't go to ThunderClan yet." _

_This caught the tawny warrior off guard. "What? Why?" _

_"The kits," meowed Snowtail. "Splashpelt's and Sorrelflight's. Their being raised by 'loyal' ShadowClan warriors under Bonestar's orders. We have to rescue them, right?" _

_Eaglestrike lay down with a huff. "I can't believe I forgot those kits. You're right, we have to get them. But I don't want to keep all my warriors and ThunderClan in danger while we do." _

_"Then have one patrol go rescue the kits while the rest of us go to warn ThunderClan," meowed Snowtail. _

_Eaglestrike couldn't help but smile and entwine his tail with hers. "You truly are the smartest cat in our Clan." She purred. "I'll lead a patrol to rescue the kits in the morning. The rest of you must go to warn the ThunderClan cats." _

_"No," meowed Snowtail suddenly, the warmth momentarily gone from her voice. "You are our leader. If you wish to keep that image, you have to be the one to tell ThunderClan's leader about Bonestar's plans. Look, Eaglestrike, you trust me, don't you? I'll lead the patrol to rescue the kits tomorrow." _

_Eaglestrike was constantly astounded at the intelligence and reason of his mate. "Of course. You may take… how many do you think you'll need?" _

_"More than we have." said Snowtail. "We don't have a whole lot of warriors, you know. Even though you rescued us and gained four warriors, Freezebreath and Wildheart are injured, and they won't be able to go. And you'll need a couple warriors just in case ThunderClan decides they don't like you. So… I'll take Duskclaw, Nightbreeze, and Runningshadow. You take Heatherberry, Whiteclaw, and Firepaw, and of course the queens and elders. We'll meet you there as soon as we have the kits." _

_Eaglestrike nodded slowly. "How soon should we expect you?" _

_"Before tomorrow's sunset, I hope we'll have joined you. If not…" She didn't finish. She didn't have to. _

_"You'll be fine." Eaglestrike promised her. But inside, he wasn't so sure. Bonestar was ruthless. He wouldn't follow the warrior code. If he caught them… Eaglestrike would probably lose his mate forever._

_"Yes," said Snowtail. "I will be fine. Don't worry about me." _

_Of course, Eaglestrike couldn't help but worry. They were going in there with, what, four warriors? Even though many warriors had decided not to follow Bonestar, he still had nine skilled warriors at his side. Snowtail, Duskclaw, Runningshadow, and Nightbreeze were some of the most skilled fighters ShadowClan had to offer, but Bonestar's warriors would be ruthless, not holding anything back. They would kill if Bonestar ordered them to, and Eaglestrike had no doubt that he would. _

_"Hey," Snowtail said, nudging him. "You really think I'd let anyone keep me away from you?" _

_Eaglestrike smiled. "Never," he purred. "You go rescue those kits. Then come straight back so I can know you're all right." _

_Snowtail giggled like a love-struck apprentice. "What about the kits, silly? You do want to know they're all right, don't you?" _

_The tom ducked his head in embarrassment. "Of course. I just mean –"_

_Snowtail giggled again. "I know, silly," she purred. "I told you, don't worry. I'll be coming back." _

_Eaglestrike really hoped she was right. _


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Eaglestrike explained the plans to their little mini-Clan the next day. How Snowtail would be taking a patrol to go rescue the kits and Eaglestrike would be leading the rest to ThunderClan. When he finished announcing the patrols, I was shocked that he hadn't said my name for either of them. I was about to speak up, but Splashpelt, who was sitting beside Sorrelflight and had been whispering to her the entire meeting, beat me to it.

"Eaglestar!" she said. Everyone turned to her in shock. It had been an unspoken agreement that Eaglestrike was the leader, but no one had yet added the 'star' to his name.

Eaglestrike raised his tail, stopping her. "I may have taken the lead, but StarClan has not granted me my nine lives or given me my leader name. Please, continue to call me Eaglestrike."

"Eaglestrike," Splashpelt corrected herself, continuing, "Sorrelflight and I want to go on the patrol to rescue the kits too."

Eaglestrike looked at her in surprise. "I'm afraid I can't allow that –"

"Look, we're trained warriors too. And those are our kits. We're not going to stand by while someone else goes to rescue them," the tawny she-cat meowed.

To my surprise, Eaglestrike nodded. "Good point. Snowtail, do you agree that they may accompany you on your patrol?"

Snowtail nodded. "Yes."

"That's settled, then," he meowed. "We'll leave immediately."

Snowtail swept her tail to gather her patrol. Duskclaw, Runningshadow, Nightbreeze, Splashpelt, and Sorrelflight all went over to her. I could see that she had sort of naturally taken the position of deputy in this miniature version of ShadowClan.

Finally, I piped up. "Uh, Eaglestrike? Where do I go?"

He looked surprised, as if it was weird that I had to ask. "Why, you'll be leading us to ThunderClan."

After marching through ShadowClan in the rain with an elder, two injured cats, an apprentice, and only three warriors, all from an enemy Clan, I was very ready to get back under the cover of the wide and leafy overhead branches of ThunderClan.

When we finally reached the Thunderpath, it took forever to cross. We went two at a time, mostly because three of the eight cats in our assembly needed help crossing. I crossed with Flightfur, the light grey elder. She was much swifter on her paws than both Wildheart and Freezebreath, whose injuries prevented them from moving very quickly.

Finally, we were back in ThunderClan territory. I breathed in the scent of the rain-soaked forest, the soft ground, the wet bark, the leaves decorated by crystals of raindrops. I realized that I had begun to smell of ShadowClan, and I took the patrol on a slight detour to the stream, just so I could wash their scent out of my fur. The water was chilly, but I didn't care – I smelled like a ThunderClan cat again.

Eventually, though, we reached the camp. I was surprised no patrol had come to meet us. I suppose it was purely luck. I walked right into the camp, not knowing what else to do, and immediately, every cat stopped and was staring at me.

Mistyfur was the first to unfreeze. She raced up to me, tackling me to the ground. "Lightningpaw!" she meowed. "Don't you ever run away like that again! You had me worried sick! I thought Bonestar made you into a pile of crowfood too!"

I shoved her off of me, but there was a smile on my face. "I'm fine, mother," I mocked. "When did you join the nursery, Mistyfur?"

She laughed too and backed off a bit. The rest of the Clan seemed to unfreeze. Mistyfur's lightheartedness seemed to remind them that this was real. Forestpaw came darting from the apprentice den.

"Lightningpaw!" he yowled. "You're back!" He then proceeded to react nearly exactly as Mistyfur had, complete with tackling me to the ground and acting like my mother. Oh, and add in him licking me on the forehead and resting his cheek against mine for a moment.

Not sure what to think of that one.

That was when Jaysight – Jay_star_, now, I guessed – came out from the leader's den. "Lightningpaw," he meowed. "So you've returned. And… who have you brought with you?"

I'm not sure why Mistyfur and Forestpaw didn't seem to notice the ShadowClan patrol behind me. However, I allowed Eaglestrike to step forward and explain himself.

"These cats and I are not followers of Bonestar. We wish to defeat him, for he has caused a lot of damage. We also are here to warn you. We know Bonestar is planning to take over the forest, one Clan at a time. He's taken over his birth Clan, now he's targeting you." The tawny warrior held every cat's attention with his words.

Jaystar's eyes widened. "When?"

"Soon," meowed Eaglestrike. "We don't know how long you have exactly. But as an unofficial leader among us, I propose that we join forces against Bonestar, in exchange for you allowing our elders, queens, kits, and injured to stay in your camp until Bonestar is banished."

Jaysight was watching Eaglestrike carefully. He looked past him in curiosity. "These are all the cats you have? How many are following Bonestar?"

"We think about nine," meowed Eaglestrike. "All very strong, all very ruthless. And he could very well have allies we don't know about. Rogues, even other Clan cats… Bonestar will lie to get cats on his side. He'll do anything for a few more sets of claws. We also have a few more warriors that went back to rescue the kits from the ShadowClan camp."

Jaystar nodded. "You may stay, then. Eagle… star, is it?"

Eaglestrike shook his head.

"Eaglestrike, then… I will speak with you and Lightningpaw in my den. Thunderfang, would you please help make the rest of these cats feel at home?"

"Where can they stay, Jaystar?" meowed Thunderfang, who I assumed was the new deputy.

"Wherever they would stay if they were actual members of our Clan," said Jaystar. "Nursery, elder's den, medicine den, wherever. Have Goldenbird help Scarfang out with those wounded warriors there."

I admired Jaystar's ability to give orders. He was as natural of a leader as Eaglestrike and Settingstar. I had even more respect for Settingstar for having chosen Jaystar as deputy.

Still, that didn't mean I felt absolutely confident as I followed Jaystar into his den.

Thank StarClan; his first questions were for Eaglestrike. "So, tell me all you know about Bonestar and his plans."

Eaglestrike did so, explaining exactly which warriors Bonestar had as allies, exactly what his plans were – as far as we knew, which wasn't much – and exactly what warriors we still had on our side. While the majority of the warriors had been taken by Bonestar, any cat that wasn't a warrior had come to our side, since Bonestar thought they were useless. However, while we had the numbers, he had the fighting force.

Then Jaystar turned to me. "Now, Lightningpaw. I want to hear your story. Starting from when you ran off after Settingstar's death."

I took a deep breath and told him, even the sign from Rainstep. I realized that I would have left that out if it was Settingstar. I just trusted Jaystar more. Still, I left out the dream from Rainstep. I left off after we snuck out of the camp with the rescues.

Jaystar narrowed his eyes. "You shouldn't have just wandered away without telling anyone. You had some cats worried. Including your mentor," he meowed sternly.

I dipped my head. "I'm sorry."

To my surprise, Jaystar chuckled. "I forgive you. Now, Eaglestrike, I'd imagine you would like some rest. Please, give your warriors time to relax for a while and wait for the rest of your Clan. I must speak with my deputy and begin to prepare. When Bonestar comes, we'll be ready."

When I exited Jaystar's den, I was ready to crash in the apprentice den and finally, _finally _catch up on my sleep. Of course, there was one more person that had to welcome me back.

Stormblaze met me with his suspicious glare, as always. Ah, brothers. _StarClan help me. _

"Where on earth _were _you? Are you in league with Bonestar or something?" he hissed.

"_What?_" I hissed back in shock. That was the last thing I had expected him to say. "No! Are you kidding? I would never betray my own Clan like that! And that's not a very nice way to talk to your _sister_!"

It hit me as soon as the words left my mouth that Stormblaze hadn't exactly known that we were littermates.

"Sister? Are you crazy? I was the only kit in my litter! I had no littermates!" Stormblaze meowed sharply, but I could see in his eyes the memory was coming back.

"Our mother's name was Rainstep, right? We never met our father. He was a rogue and was forced to leave us with mom."

"Rainstep told me he died," said Stormblaze distantly. He was lost in thought. Suddenly, he shook his head, snapping back to reality. "How do you know this?"

"Rainstep visited me in a dream," I told him. "She told me the whole story."

Stormblaze stared at me blankly. "Oh StarClan. You are my sister."

I rolled my eyes. "It's about time you got it."

"Wait… then… what happened to you? Where did you go for all that time?"

I bit my lip. "You don't remember that?"

"Wait…" I could see on his face that he was concentrating hard. "Your name wasn't always Lightningpaw, was it?"

I shook my head. "I'll explain it all to you later, okay? I really need to sleep."

With that, I marched past him and to the apprentice's den, not waiting for a reply.


	24. Chapter 23

_Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday! Now we just have to survive Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday... _

_I keep getting a lot of comments asking WHEN we're going to find out what Amberpaw did to get exiled. I said before that it would be towards the end of the story, but I'm rethinking that now. It might be sooner than that. Not TOO soon, of course, and I won't tell you exactly when, but... you will find out. ;)_

_As always, thanks to all who reviewed! _

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

The next day at dawn marked Snowtail's patrol's return. When she entered camp, Eaglestrike raced up to her, acting in much the same way that Forestpaw had on my return.

Behind her were Duskclaw, Nightbreeze, and Splashpelt, and behind Splashpelt huddled three tiny kits.

The other ShadowClan warriors raced up to greet the patrol as well. They were all happy to be reunited with their Clanmates. Jaystar politely greeted Snowtail, seeming to already understand that she was an unofficial deputy.

Of course, it didn't take long to realize that someone was missing.

"Snowtail," Eaglestrike meowed in fear. "Where is Sorrelflight?"

Snowtail dipped her head. "She didn't make it out. We snuck in to get the kits, and we were almost out without being discovered, but then someone found us, and we were chased. We got all the kits out, but Sorrelflight was captured. They could be holding her prisoner, but… I don't think so."

Every cat around her bowed their heads. "She was a loyal warrior, and a loving mother," Eaglestrike said softly.

I glanced over at the kits hiding behind Splashpelt. There were two she-kits and a tom. One she-kit was a soft yellow tabby, the other light ginger. The tom was black-and-white with green eyes that matched the light ginger she-kit's eyes… and Sorrelflight's. It was clear that those two had been her kits.

"Splashpelt," said Jaystar quietly, breaking the silence. "You better take those three to the nursery."

Splashpelt's eyes were grief-stricken and she did as she was told, leading the kits over to the nursery, and nudging them along with her tail.

Eaglestrike stood up. "I'm glad to have you back," he said to Snowtail, and then looked at the rest of the patrol. "All of you."

Jaystar spoke up. "You may all make yourselves at home here. Until Bonestar is defeated, you are welcome in our camp."

Eaglestrike nodded. "In fact, Jaystar, I think my Clan may want to organize some hunting patrols. Obviously, we could not participate in border patrols, but Whiteclaw has an apprentice to train, and I wouldn't want to be eating prey that your Clan worked hard to catch."

Jaystar nodded, looking at Eaglestrike with respect, like a fellow leader. "Understood. Whiteclaw can take his apprentice to the sandy hollow, right nearby camp. And if you do go hunting, I would like at least one ThunderClan warrior on each patrol, purely as a precaution."

"That sounds reasonable," agreed Eaglestrike. "Snowtail, would you arrange patrols? Heatherberry, why don't you take Splashpelt and the kits to the nursery and get them settled in."

I glanced again at the three little kits. They were looking up at Splashpelt with wary expressions on their tiny faces. The black-and-white tom stared up at her and mewed, "Why are we in ThunderClan? We need to go back home and find mommy."

Splashpelt looked down at the kit helplessly, not knowing what to say. Heatherberry intervened. "We're going to stay with the nice ThunderClan cats for a while, okay, Swoopkit dear?"

"What about mommy, though?" the orange she-kit wailed. "Why can't she come?"

It was Heatherberry's turn to look helpless. The kits were so young, they didn't really understand what had happened. It would be difficult to explain to them. Instead, Heatherberry just scooped up the orange she-kit by the scruff, carrying her to the nursery.

I tore my gaze away from the painful scene. It broke my heart that those kits would never see their mother again. They didn't even really know what happened to her. When they were older, they'd know that she died for them.

And that she died at the paws of Bonestar.

Rage suddenly sparked inside of me, rushing under my pelt to the tips of my claws. I wanted to tear Bonestar to shreds for what he had done. He killed Settingstar. He was responsible for killing Leopardclaw. He killed Sorrelflight and left her kits all alone. Who knows what else he had done?

I was jolted out of my furious thoughts by a familiar voice that sounded unfamiliar from its friendly tone. "You up for some hunting?"

I spun around to see Stormblaze standing there. His facial expression seemed as unreadable as ever, but his eyes seemed somehow different… not as guarded, maybe.

"Sure," I said eagerly. I knew he probably just wanted to hear my story, but I held onto the idea that he might want to get to know me better know that we knew we were littermates. In addition, I really just wanted to get out of this camp. I never could stand the depressing mood that followed the news of a cat's death. That's probably why I ran off after Settingstar died.

We walked out of camp and headed into the forest. I was lost in thought as we walked along quietly for a while, until the rumble of thunder jolted me out of my thoughts. I glanced around, startled, and then an extraordinary thing happened.

Stormblaze _laughed_.

It didn't even matter that he was laughing at me. He had a nice, clear laugh, that I was just glad to have heard it. From what I had seen, even a smile from him was rare.

"Haven't you ever heard thunder before?" he purred.

I smiled. "Sorry. This whole Bonestar thing has got me really stressed out. I'll feel better once we get rid of that flea-pelt."

"Yeah. Sorry for thinking you were in league with him."

"It's fine," I said. "I guess I have been acting kind of suspicious."

"And that's because of your past, right? Why you were absent for most of when I was a kit?"

"Uh, more or less," I said, unsure where to begin. "Before I get into that, could you tell me what you _do _remember?"

"Well… I remember you, vaguely. I think we used to play together a lot. You would sometimes play with this other kit, though, and I would get really mad."

"What other kit?" I asked, confused.

"I don't remember her name. She was light grey and had these pale blue eyes."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "There's no one in the Clan like that."

"I know," said Stormblaze, sounding confused too. "Poppykit!" he cried out suddenly. "That was her name. Poppykit. And then Poppypaw."

"But there's no Poppypaw in our Clan. That explains nothing," I said in frustration. "What else?"

"That's pretty much it," said Stormblaze. "Now would you just tell me your side of the story already?"

"I can, but I honestly don't know much of it myself," I said, and began to tell him the entire story. From my first memories of finding my den in the wood, to finding Pete in my den that one morning, all the way to leaving to return to the Clans.

Stormblaze was silent for a moment afterwards. "What about Poppypaw?"

"What about her?" I asked, confused.

"What if she had something to do with it? I mean, it's pretty weird that she would just disappear. And it must have been around the same time you left."

I stared at him. "You're right! It could be!" I thought this through in my head. "But how would we find out?"

"We could ask Bluefrost and Loudflight. They'd remember it," offered Stormblaze.

"Don't you think that'd be a bit suspicious?" I said.

Stormblaze sighed. "I guess so. But we have to find out somehow, right?"

I stared at my paws. "Maybe not," I said quietly.

"What?" said Stormblaze in reply.

"I'm a member of ThunderClan now. A loyal member. I'm not a danger to my Clan, and besides, I love it here. Maybe I should just enjoy my life as a warrior here. Maybe the past just doesn't matter anymore."


	25. Chapter 24

_I am SO SO SO SO SO sorry that this is late! Won't happen again!_

_Except, the next chapter may or may not be late. We'll see. There's about three ways the chapter could go, and I'm trying to decide which way to write it. _

_Once again, sorry!_

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

I watched Stormblaze's face as he thought this over. "Maybe not. But even if it doesn't matter, don't you want to know?"

"It might be worse to know. I'd have to hide it from my Clanmates forever."

"You're already hiding something from your Clanmates," he pointed out.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, mostly because he was my brother and that seemed like the right thing to do when he said something that made sense.

"It's my decision. What I need to focus on is preparing for Bonestar's attack, okay?"

"Fine," Stormblaze said with a sickening finality. With that he turned away and stalked back towards camp.

I sighed and stared down at my paws, hoping I hadn't just lost the only family I ever had.

_That night, I dreamed I was in a moonlit clearing. This time it wasn't Fourtrees. The grass shone silver in the light and the sky was deep and dark, with stars shining brighter than they ever had in waking. _

_Then Rainstep's rage-filled voice shattered the peaceful silence of the clearing. "'Maybe the past just doesn't matter anymore?' Did you hear a thing I told you last time? You need to understand your past to be prepared for your future!" I could never have imagined Rainstep's crystal-clear, honey-sweet voice filled with such anger. _

"_How was I supposed to know what that meant?" _

"_Oh, I don't know, maybe it meant 'learn about your past'?" Rainstep scoffed. _

"_Isn't it my decision? All I want to do is help my Clan!" _

"_And you could if you would just bother to figure this out!" _

"_If it was so important that I know, why don't you just tell me?" _

_This seemed to catch Rainstep off guard. She struggled for a few heartbeats before finally muttering, "I'm not the cat who should tell you." _

"_What kind of answer is that?" I said in frustration. _

_Rainstep looked to her left and flicked her tail, and the shimmering outline of a cat appeared. It wasn't a real cat, just the image of one, outlined in stars. It was a tiny apprentice, barely over six moons, with light grey fur and pale blue eyes. _

"_Poppypaw?" I mewed softly. She matched Stormblaze's description perfectly. _

_The image didn't move, but Rainstep answered. "Yes, this is your old friend Poppypaw." _

_I stared at the image for a few more moments before turning back to Rainstep. "What about Poppypaw?" _

"_Do what Stormblaze suggested. Ask about her." _

"_What?"_

"_Do it. You must understand this piece of your past if you want to defeat Bonestar." _

"_What are you talking about? How does – "_

"_Trust me, Lightningpaw." She looked up at the sky for a moment, and I sensed the dream beginning to fade. "But be careful. A storm is coming." _

With her words ringing in my ears, I woke up.

It was still dark out, just after moonhigh, but I didn't care. I raced out of the apprentice den and headed for the warriors'.

Inside were several breathing balls of fur. I searched the scours of nests until I found Stormblaze, his black pelt being pricked slightly by the walls of the den. I left the den and went around to where his nest was on the other side of the wall.

"Hey! Stormblaze!" I muttered through the brambles. There was a flash of movement on the other side as he jolted awake, his head snapping up.

"What? Lightingpaw? What's wrong? Is Bonestar coming?"

"Nothing," I reassured him. "I decided… I'll ask Loudflight and Bluefrost. About Poppypaw."

"Really? What made you change your mind?"

"I had a dream from Rainstep."

"That's great," he said, yawning, and I got the feeling he hadn't really heard me. "But let's do it in the morning, okay? The elders will be more cooperative if they've gotten their sleep and, frankly, so will I."

I didn't sleep at all the rest of the night. Instead I waited outside, pacing the camp, glancing at the stars and then at the elders' den. I could be about to find out the secret that had brought me here.

I still didn't really want to find out. But if Rainstep said that it was crucial to defeating Bonestar, however weird that sounded, then so be it.

The  
moon crept ever so slowly across the sky, like a silent silver hunter chasing the horizon. Most of the night, though, it was shrouded in dark grey storm clouds. There would be plenty of rain coming.

As the night progressed and I sat there watching the moon, more and more clouds blew in, and the wind grew stronger. I was absolutely determined to stay there until the sun came up, as I was impatient to ask the elders about Poppypaw.

Of course, I fell asleep long before the sun came close to the horizon.

"No, I think she's fine, she's just asleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Wake her up. It'll be raining soon; she won't want to be out here for _that._"

I blinked open my eyes and stood up. Mistyfur, Stormblaze, and Forestpaw all stood around me, whiskers twitching.

"Why in StarClan did you decide to fall asleep in the middle of camp?" laughed Mistyfur. "Don't you know a storm's coming on?"

I blinked a couple of times to get the sleepiness out of my eyes. "Uh… I was… sleepwalking."

"Sleepwalking?" said Forestpaw.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't really know," I said weakly. Mistyfur and Forestpaw stared at me incredulously, while Stormblaze looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"Whatever you say, silly," purred Mistyfur. "I've got a sunhigh patrol to lead."

"You're leading a patrol? Congratulations!" I meowed. Mistyfur smiled, pride glistening in her eyes. Then she walked off.

At that moment, Thunderfang called for Forestpaw to train with him. Forestpaw glanced at me and smiled before heading over to his mentor. I didn't have time to smile back.

When they were both gone, Stormblaze turned to me. "Sleepwalking? Really?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Can we go ask the elders now?"

Stormblaze grinned. "Already did this morning. While you were asleep."

"_What?_" I hissed. "What did they say?"

A couple of warriors turned to give me a weird look, which only made Stormblaze grin more.

"How about we go for a walk?" he said casually, which translated to, _How about we get out of here so the entire Clan doesn't hear what we talk about? _

"Sure," I said, trying to mimic his casual tone, but of course it came out way too high-pitched and long.

I followed him out of the camp and through the forest. As we walked, thunder was rumbling and wind was blowing. The clouds in the sky above looked ready to burst with rain.

I shivered, not entirely from the cold. Rainstep had been right. A storm was coming.


	26. Chapter 25

_Hey everyone! Today's chapter is like a POV chapter, but its really a flashback and not in any particular cat's point of view. As always, its short, so another one will be uploaded today too. _

_This was BY FAR the hardest chapter to write. I know you guys have somewhat high expectations for this particular part of the story, and I just hope that I did okay. There were lots of ways I could have made this go, but this is what I decided on. _

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five - _Flashback_**

_Newleaf sunshine shone down through forest leaves. Two apprentices, one a black-and-white she-cat, the other a light grey she-cat. They walked along and laughed, talking about life as apprentices in ThunderClan. _

"_Race you to the Thunderpath, Poppypaw!" said the black-and-white one. _

"_Only if you're ready to lose, Amberpaw!" grinned the light grey. _

_The pair raced through the forest until they reached their designated finish line, laughing the entire way. Poppypaw reached the black, foul-smelling path just moments before Amberpaw did. When she did, she skidded to a halt. Another cat was already there. _

_He was young, possible just over the age of an apprentice. He had creamy-white fur, and looked big and well-muscled. He smelled strongly of ShadowClan, and yet he sat confidently on the ThunderClan side of the path. _

"_Hey!" shouted Poppypaw, after having recovered from the surprise of seeing him on their side of the border. "What do you think you're doing?" _

"_Sitting," meowed the tom smugly. _

"_Get out of here," Amberpaw said, standing at Poppypaw's side. While Poppypaw was faster, Amberpaw was slightly bigger and stronger. "You're trespassing." _

_The cream tom only grinned wider. "What are you going to do about it?" _

_Poppypaw snarled and leapt forward in a flash of light grey fur. The big cream tom only smiled and stepped to the side, letting her fly past him. _

_She landed in a motionless clump of light grey fur in the middle of the Thunderpath. Relief washed over Amberpaw when she raised her tiny head, looking around, disorientated. Amberpaw spun around to face her enemy, who still had that annoying smirk on his face. _

"_Go back to where you came from!" hissed Amberpaw. _

_A rumble like thunder sounded in the distance. Out of the corner of Amberpaw's eyes, a shiny black monster came hurtling down the Thunderpath. Poppypaw was still trying to regain her paws in the middle of the Thunderpath. _

"_Poppypaw!" Amberpaw called out in warning. "Move!" She prepared to race out there and shove her friend out of the way. _

_Before she could set foot on the hard black stone, the monster flew right past her face, ruffling her whiskers. Dust flew into Amberpaw's eyes and she heard a sickening thud that could only be one thing. She blinked the dust from her eyes and raced out to her friend. _

_The big cream tom had vanished. Amberpaw crouched in the Thunderpath with her motionless light grey friend, nudging her and trying to get her to wake up. _

_It must have been only a short while before a patrol of ThunderClan cats came looking for them. They found Amberpaw with Poppypaw's blood on her paws. _


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Stormblaze led me to the stream and then sat down at the edge. I sat down beside him. He stared into the water, and I looked up at the sky. Stormclouds were gathering faster than ever, and my heart pounded so loud I couldn't tell if it was really my heartbeat or the thunder.

"So?" I said.

"So," he said.

"Want to tell me what the elders said?" I said impatiently.

"Oh, sure, but only since you asked so nicely," he meowed, grinning. "Okay, so I started by asking about Poppypaw. Bluefrost had to think a moment and then she said, 'Oh, I remember Poppypaw! What a sweet apprentice!'"

"And?"

"And then I asked what happened to her, and she just said she died a tragic death. But she wouldn't explain, so I asked about Amberpaw. Apparently, as I told you, Amberpaw was Poppypaw's best friend. But…"

"But?"

Stormblaze fidgeted, avoiding my gaze. "You're sure you want to know?"

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. _A storm is coming_. I exhaled, long and slow, and opened my eyes again. "I have to. There's no choice."

Stormblaze nodded reluctantly. "Well, apparently… it might not be true… but the Clan believed that Amberpaw was the one who killed Poppypaw."

I almost saw it coming, but the words still sank in slowly and painfully like a cruel enemy's claws. I don't remember Poppypaw very well, and I don't remember what I was like back then, but I know I never would kill another cat. Especially my best friend.

"Lightningpaw?" Stormblaze said, looking at me in worry.

"Could… could you leave me alone for a minute?"

"Sure," he said. He straightened, looking around awkwardly. "Uh… I should hunt. Lotta rain soon…" He trailed off as he walked away.

I took several deep breaths and stared into the pale water of the stream, running through everything over again in my brain. I stayed until the first drop of rain fell, thinking maybe, maybe Rainstep would come to guide me. However, no shadow of any StarClan cat appeared.

By the time I knew what to do, the rain had soaked through my pelt. It would have been nice to head back to my camp, curl up in the den next to Forestpaw, and let his warmth dry my fur. But I didn't.

Instead, I turned in the opposite direction, towards the place I had left so long ago.

I ended up making a lot of split-second decisions over the course of my life in ThunderClan. In fact, a split-second decision made me _end up_ in ThunderClan. Most of those hastily made choices had turned out okay, so that's why I decided to go with this one.

I trudged through the cold and pelting rain that turned the ground to mud beneath my paws. I didn't really have the strength to hold my head up, so I just watched the mud slowly cake around my paws. Finally, at the top of a hill, I found the hollow log I had spent one night in before coming to ThunderClan. The log was barely recognizable through the rain, but I knew it when I saw it.

Lightning flashed in the distance and a few seconds later, thunder rumbled. I crawled weakly into the log with barely any strength left. I fell asleep before I could even finish licking the mud from my paws.

"_Amberpaw?" meowed a sweet young voice. "Hey! Amberpaw! Open your eyes, silly!" _

_I did so, and immediately growled in annoyance. "I'm tired. I was looking forward to actually sleeping for once instead of putting up with these silly dreams." Then I saw who it was in the dream. _

_A tiny grey apprentice, thin and light grey, with just a little white kit fluff around her ears. Her eyes were pale blue, but her fur sparkled with stars. I knew who she was immediately, even though I had never seen her in my life. _

"_Poppypaw," I meowed. _

"_That's me!" she chirped happily. _

"_You called me Amberpaw," I continued, staring at her blankly. _

"_Well, that's the name I know you by," she said matter-of-factly. "Or would you prefer Lightning?" _

"_Lightnigpa–"I began to correct her, then cut myself off. "Lightning." _

"_Okay then, Lightning," Poppypaw said, her smile never faltering. "So, you decided to leave ThunderClan, huh?" _

"_Yeah. So?" _

"_So, don't you know that they need you?" Poppypaw said, suddenly sounding stern. "Or that you need them?" _

"_What?" I said, staring at her. _

"_Look and see," said Poppypaw. _

_Suddenly, we were amongst the trees of ThunderClan territory. Many of the trees had been lit with fire, and the entire Clan was evacuating towards the RiverClan border. Poppypaw and I followed them to the river, where cats from both ThunderClan and Eaglestrike's ShadowClan were barging into the river. Some cats' fur was scorched, all of them were soaked. Medicine cats were treating burns left and right. _

_I looked around helplessly as my Clanmates splashed into the water. Not all of them were there. Some must have not escaped. _

_I searched the crowds for Forestpaw, Mistyfur, and Stormblaze. Stormblaze was leading a group of cats out of the trees. Mistyfur carried two kits, one on her back, the other by the scruff of its neck. Forestpaw was huddled next to Thunderfang in the shallow end of the river. _

_I looked back at the forest. It looked like the entire thing was going up in flames. I could see in the distance that it was even spreading to ShadowClan territory. It didn't look like things could get any worse. _

_Then, it got worse. _

_Down from ShadowClan territory, walking out of the flames with smoke rising behind them, was Bonestar's ShadowClan. Nobody noticed them at first, but then some she-cat caught sight of them and shrieked, drawing every cat's attention. _

_I opened my mouth in horror as I saw Bonestar in the lead, smiling eerily in the firelight. Just as I did, the scene dissolved and I was back in the dream clearing. _

"_What… was that real?" I gasped to Poppypaw. For once, she wasn't smiling. _

"_Oh, yes. It's what is happening this very moment," she said. "Only you can save your Clan, Lightning. That's why you had to find out the truth, is it not?" _

_That was when something occurred to me. "I didn't kill you, did I?" I asked Poppypaw. _

_Her smile returned. "No." _

"_Then… how'd you die?" _

"_You know the answer to that, Lightning," she said. "You just need to remember." _

"_Lightningpaw," I corrected her. "My name is Lightningpaw." _

_Poppypaw grinned. "That's what I thought, Lightningpaw of ThunderClan." _

I blinked, and I was awake. Poppypaw was gone. I was alone. I stood, finding with surprise that I felt full of strength. My fur was dry and the mud was gone from my paws. I stepped out of my log into the pouring rain.

_Thank you, Poppypaw_, I thought, looking up at the sky. A piece of sky and stars could be seen through just a tiny hole in the clouds. The right size for an apprentice to spy through, I thought.

I had never ran faster than that night, running back to my Clan. I felt my muscles tingling with the strength StarClan had given me. It felt like mere heartbeats before I reached the river.

The group of cats huddled there had grown. WindClan and RiverClan had both arrived. Why? RiverClan might want to know what our cats were doing there, but the fire couldn't have reached WindClan. Why had they arrived?

Bonestar stood at the front of his army, which had grown considerably and was no longer just nine cats. It looked like at least half a dozen rogues had joined his side, even one that had a collar and must have been a kittypet or former kittypet. But what was heartbreaking was the sight of other Clan cats at his side. I recognized Silverwing, Beetlestep, and Raccoonmask from ThunderClan. Several other cats from WindClan and RiverClan stood among Bonestar's traitors. The leaders of all three Clans were staring him down.

Rain fell. Fire blazed. Lightning cracked and thunder growled. Four Clans faced each other with tension in the air.

The storm is here.


	28. Chapter 27

_First of all, I am SO sorry that this chapter is late! I forgot to tell you in the AN of the last chapter that I was going to be busy yesterday. I am REALLY sorry about that. _

_Second, as always, thanks for all the reviews! I know this gets annoying, but I really appreciate them. I can only hope that this story continues to live up to all of your expectations. _

_Enjoy! _

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

One cat saw me streaking towards them through the blinding rain and called out my name. "It's Lightningpaw!"

Forestpaw was the first at the edge of the group of ThunderClan cats to greet me. "Where were you?" he said. "Why did you run off again when we needed you?"

I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm here now, and that's what matters. And I need to talk to Jaystar."

Forestpaw nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Come on." We shoved our way through the throng of cats and towards the front, where Jaystar stood beside Thunderfang.

"Jaystar," I said in a hushed whisper.

He spun his head around in surprise. "Lightningpaw," he said. "I thought you'd ran off again."

"That's not important," I said. "You need to get the other Clans to unite against Bonestar. All three Clans together would outnumber him. But as long as we're divided, he can beat us easily."

Jaystar looked at me with newfound respect. "You're right." He turned back out to face the other Clans. It almost felt like there were five – ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, the true ShadowClan, and Bonestar's Clan. ThunderClan stood in the shallow end of the river, RiverClan at the opposite bank. WindClan stood a little to the side of RiverClan. ShadowClan stood beside ThunderClan, yet off to the side, proving that they were allies but separate. Bonestar faced them from the direction of ShadowClan territory.

Bonestar drew closer, and began speaking.

"Cats of all Clans! We constantly fight each other over the silliest things! In doing so, we only weaken ourselves and each other! We spend more energy on fighting so that we cannot even hunt for prey! But, if the four Clans were to unite and become one, we would have no more fights! We would be able to focus on growing and prospering!" Bonestar yowled, speaking to all the cats. "Look before you at this group of cats. You see cats from every Clan, joined together under BoneClan! Is that not proof that StarClan approves of this?"

"No," said Jaystar, stepping forward to face Bonestar. "StarClan meant for there to be four Clans in the forest! There always were and there always have been!" Jaystar turned his piercing blue gaze to the other Clans. "Bonestar is a liar! He killed Blizzardstar and Settingstar, and invaded ThunderClan and lied about it! He will do anything to get what he wants! You can see, he even has rogues fighting with him! Clan cats do not fight beside rogues!

"The only way we can defeat Bonestar is if we join together against him!" Jaystar's yowl sounded across the river.

The Clans were silent for a few moments. Eaglestrike stepped forward to stand at Jaystar's side. Then, Wavestar, the leader of RiverClan, swam slowly and steadily across the river to join him. Gingerstar followed suit. Each of the leaders' Clans assembled behind the four, mixing together to form one giant group of cats with four leaders.

Bonestar growled in frustration. "BoneClan, attack!" he yowled, and they raced towards us.

The four Clans raced forward too, and then the fighting began.

The strength Poppypaw had given me had died away when I reached the river. As the sound of cats yowling and fighting began around me, I realized that I had no idea what to do. The only other battle I had been in was against the small ShadowClan patrol, and that had hardly been difficult, especially since I was at Jaystar's side the entire time.

And what about the kits and elders? They had fled the fire with the rest of the Clan. Who was protecting them?

I pushed through the fighting cats, heading for the river's edge. Every cat from all Clans was on the ThunderClan side. As I shoved my way through the battle, I tried not to watch the cats fighting, but I couldn't help glancing over. Clanmates were turning on Clanmates, pushing each other into the river or into the flaming trees. Sometimes it was two against one. Mates and littermates took blows for each other, and mentors stood to protect apprentices.

At the shallow part of the river, the elders stood protecting our Clan's kits. Frostpool, a RiverClan she-cat that had sided with Bonestar, and a rogue tomcat I did not know were attacking them. Loudflight, Bluefrost, Flightfur, and Frosty-eyes all stood in front of the ThunderClan and ShadowClan kits, hissing and slashing like young warriors. However, they were still elders, and Frostpool and the rogue were starting to weaken them.

Hissing fiercely, I leapt onto Frostpool's back. She hadn't seen me coming, so she yowled in surprise and pain when I dug my claws into her sides. I clung on as she tried to shake me off, digging my claws in deeper every time she tried to toss me away. Finally she lost her balance and rolled onto her side, and I took the chance to rake my claws down her belly.

Suddenly, the rogue's claws were in my pelt, dragging me towards the river. I clawed at the ground, trying to free myself, but he caught hold of my scruff with his teeth. I was at the edge of the water when he all of a sudden lost his grip. I still lost my balance and fell sideways into the water, but was able to scramble back onto the shore before becoming completely submerged.

Forestpaw was the one who had come to my rescue and was now locked in combat with the charcoal rogue. Both were focused on their opponent, so neither noticed me come up behind the rogue and bite hard into his tail. He yowled furiously and spun around, giving Forestpaw a chance to leap onto his back and drag his claws through the rogue's fur.

The rogue snarled and shook Forestpaw off. He glanced at me and hissed, "This was never worth it," before running off.

Forestpaw stood beside the rogues, nodding to me. "I'll stay here with them. Go!"

I headed back into the throng of battle, not sure where I should help. I could see WindClan and RiverClan cats fighting each other, but I wasn't sure which side the cats were on. I didn't know who to help. I wasn't even sure about the ThunderClan cats fighting each other.

I was bleeding a little from the scratches the charcoal tom had given me, but I was alright for the most part. Most of the cats around me looked much worse off. I caught sight of one injured queen hobbling into the bushes. Peeking around, I saw Goldenbird sitting there, herbs piled around her in a makeshift medicine den. She was now wrapping the she-cats wound in bandages.

"Goldenbird!" I gasped, leaping into the small treatment area. The battle had only begun, but it looked like she was running out of herbs, and the ground nearby was spattered with scarlet drops.

"Kind of busy at the moment, Lightningpaw," said Goldenbird. She finished wrapping up the she-cat's wound. "Normally I'd say, don't go back out into battle, but I'm not going to stop you, am I?"

The she-cat shook her head. "My kits are out there," she said.

"Fine, then try your best not to tear the cobwebs. Find another medicine cat after the battle to redo them," Goldenbird said. The she-cat nodded and walked off. "What's wrong, Lightningpaw?"

"I… I don't know what to do," I said.

What she said next was the last thing I expected to hear. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it? You must go kill Bonestar."


	29. Chapter 28

_So, first and most important, I am VERY sorry for the ridiculously long time it took me to update. I was procrastinating, and then I was on vacation, and then I was procrastinating, and then I finally sat down at my computer and finished the entire story. _

_Let me repeat. I sat down and wrote three freaking chapters and an epilogue. _

_So since I made you wait so long, I shall add all three chapters and the epilogue TODAY. _

_(YAY!) _

_I've got a couple announcements/thank-yous that will be in the AN with the epilogue. In the meantime, please enjoy these next few chapters. _

_Enjoy!_

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"What?" I gasped to Goldenbird.

Of course, then a beat-up tom had to come in with a scratch above his eye, so Goldenbird was preoccupied.

"Oh, you heard me, Lightningpaw! Go fulfill the prophecy! And leave me to my work. The fate of the Clans may not depend on _me, _but at least _I'm _doing some _work_!"

"Fate of the Clans?" I said blankly, trying to wrap my head around what she was saying.

Goldenbird began going through her stacks of herbs. "You heard me! Now get going!"

I turned tail and raced back out onto the battlefield. I shivered once again at the sight of Clanmates fighting each other and blood spilling onto the muddy riverbanks. I had never, ever, ever liked my Clanmates getting hurt. I had even run away when Settingstar was killed. This time, though, I couldn't run away.

I began shoving my way, once again, through the throngs of fighting cats. Twice I had to fight off stinging claws belonging to BoneClan warriors. By the time I found Bonestar, I was bleeding slightly from many different scratches on my pelt, and very heavily from one gash on my left flank. I thought about going back to Goldenbird, but she'd probably just yell at me from all the stress she was under, and I'd only get more beat up along the way.

Bonestar was locked in battle with Jaystar in the center of the battlefield. His creamy pelt was unscathed, while Jaystar's grey tabby pelt was stained red in several places. Jaystar glared viciously, while Bonestar looked casual and unconcerned as they circled each other. I could see that Jaystar was also limping slightly on one leg as he moved around.

I stood there, just a few tail-lengths away, not sure was to do. Jaystar needed help, that was certain, but what could I do against a cat with nine lives?

That was when something Mistyfur had once said echoed from my memory. _If StarClan thinks a leader is unfit to lead a Clan, they don't give them nine lives. _

As soon as that thought occurred to me, Bonestar's huge paw came flying towards Jaystar out of nowhere, knocking him over and sending him sliding across the mud towards the edge of the river. He came to a stop right at the edge of the river, but didn't get up. Bonestar looked like he was preparing to go down there and finish him off.

I was about to leap out and attack Bonestar when I had the chance, but someone beat me to it. A dark figure came screeching out of the battle, one ear torn and paws stained red, glaring at Bonestar with eyes lit with fire. _Stormblaze! _

Bonestar hissed in frustration. "Out of my way!" he snarled.

Stormblaze leapt out of the way of Bonestar's humongous paw, dodging swiftly and effortlessly. Bonestar growled, growing more irritated. I realized that he didn't consider Stormblaze a threat at all, just a nuisance.

Up until then, fear had kept my paws from moving to help Stormblaze. It was as if tendrils of ice held me to my spot, close enough to watch what was happening, but far enough away to go unnoticed by the two cats in combat. In that moment, though, I felt another cat standing beside me. I looked, and couldn't see anyone, but I smelled the faint scent of Rainstep in the air. I returned to reality, and not a moment too soon.

The next few moments played out in slow motion. I saw what Bonestar was about to do before he even lifted his paw. The huge tom charged towards Stormblaze, fast as lightning. Stormblaze was quick, but not quick enough. Bonestar lunged forward with jaws opened slightly.

I lunged forward too, no longer held still by fear, but I wasn't quick enough either. Stormblaze twisted sideways just enough so that Bonestar's teeth lodged in his shoulder instead of their intended target – his throat. Stormblaze howled with pain and collapsed onto the riverbank. Bonestar lifted a paw to shove him into the water, but that was when I finally crashed into him.

I might as well have charged a boulder. Bonestar didn't budge an inch, as if I was as weak as a butterfly. I lost my balance and toppled to the ground. As I regained my feet, the big cream tom spun around to face me, hissing ferociously.

"What is it with you mouse-brained ThunderClan cats? Out of my _way_!" he snarled. He swung his claws with lightning speed. I ducked, but he still caught the tips of my ears. I hissed and clenched my teeth.

Before I could do anything, Bonestar struck again, this time bringing both paws down on me. I fell backwards, managing to twist so that I landed on my belly instead of exposing it to Bonestar's claws. His claws dug into my back, pinning me down, before I could regain my feet.

My face was being smashed into the mud, but I did my best to glare up at him.

"You are a liar, Bonestar," I snarled. "A liar and a murderer." I cursed myself for not thinking of worse things to say to him.

Bonestar stared down at me. "Now… you look familiar… where have I seen you before?"

I tried to keep surprise off of my face and instead masked it with hatred. How would Bonestar know me?

Bonestar's confusion lasted only a heartbeat before he straightened, digging his claws in deeper. "Oh well. It doesn't matter." He raised his head, preparing for the death bite.

"I know your secret," I said. Softly, almost a whisper. I wasn't sure if it would stop him, but it was my last chance.

And it didn't stop him, he merely hesitated for a split second. But it was enough.

I kept going. "You were never given nine lives. You're not the leader of ShadowClan that StarClan chose. You never received your leader's name – you're nothing but Bonetooth, a murderer and a liar."

This stopped Bonetooth cold. He froze, staring at me in shock, as if he couldn't believe someone figured it out.

I hadn't really figured it out – I had guessed, based on what I knew of StarClan and what Mistyfur had told me. And then something else clicked in my mind.

_The young cream warrior that taunted Poppypaw. _

"It was you," I realized. "You killed Poppypaw, not me."

Recognition flared in Bonetooth's cold eyes, as if the memory of the two little apprentices – one grey, one black-and-white – was returning to him.

I snarled in hatred, trying to wriggle away, but Bonetooth only dug his claws in even deeper. Cursing under my breath, I realized that by moving, I had brought him back to earth and reminded him of the battle that was going on. I should have waited and kept still.

Again, he raised his head. I closed my eyes.

But his teeth never touched my throat.

There was a blinding flash and a huge crack. I opened my eyes and looked around in surprise. A bolt of lightning had struck a tree nearby. It lit with flames, and then began to creak and moan. Bonetooth was scrambling away from me in fear, his eyes on the tree.

The tree fell in one huge crash that brought silence to the entire battlefield. The raindrops splashing into the river was the only sound remaining.

I could feel every cat's eyes on me. Slowly, carefully, I stepped forward, towards the burning tree. Already, the steady train was beginning to put out the flames. The bark had been charred and soaked and broken, but underneath the fallen tree, just barely visible, was a crushed cream-colored tail-tip.

He had been crushed. No one had killed him.

"Was… was that Bonetooth?" a shaky voice from the crowd of cats came. I didn't recognize the voice. I didn't pay enough attention to even know if it was male or female.

"Yes," I said, without looking up. "He's dead."

Slowly, that fact sank in. As it did, the rain put the last of the flames out, as if StarClan was telling us that the battle was over.

The rogues that had followed Bonetooth ran off almost immediately. Without him, they had no reason to stay here and fight. The Clan cats that had joined him mostly sat alone, avoiding eye contact with their Clanmates. A few of them ran off too.

Gingerstar, Wavestar, and Eaglestrike all approached me.

"Did that tree take all nine lives?" Gingerstar said in awe.

I shook my head. "He never had nine lives given to him. StarClan knew he wasn't the true leader of ShadowClan, so he had only the life he was born with."

"I bet that lightning was a sign from StarClan too," said Wavestar. "They were helping us get rid of him."

Gingerstar turned back to me. "What's your name?"

"Lightningpaw," I told her.

All four leaders stared at me in awe. I looked back at them, too tired and confused to put two and two together and figure out what was so amazing. All I wanted was to go back to camp and collapse in my nest.

But something told me this wasn't quite over yet.


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

As the cats slowly started to move around, getting their wounds treated by medicine cats of any Clan, I watched as if stunned from where I was standing.

Deputies escorted the cats that didn't require treatment back to their camps. Dead cats were carried back as well, to be prepared for vigil. There were too many dead in each Clan, but I didn't have time to look at the faces.

Suddenly, I remembered Jaystar and Stormblaze. As if waking from a trance, I jolted up and raced through the crowd, searching for Goldenbird. She wasn't hard to find. When I reached her, I gasped breathlessly, "Jaystar… Stormblaze… by the river…"

"On it," she said. Tiredness showed in her blue eyes, but nevertheless, she followed me quickly to the riverbank. Jaystar still lay there in the mud, breathing heavily.

I raced to his side, looking down at him in a panic. Goldenbird seemed relatively calm. She touched her tail to my flank.

"Calm down, now, Lightingpaw. He's just losing a life. He's got eight more," she said.

This didn't really console me, as I was remembering the way Settingstar's and Blizzardstar's lives had been taken all at once. Jaystar suddenly grew still. I leapt backwards in surprise.

"Goldenbird!" I wailed.

"Don't worry," she said. "He'll be back with us in a moment."

I stared down at my leader and mentor, desperately wishing for him to open my eyes. As moments ticked by, I grew more and more hopeless.

Then, with a gasp, Jaystar opened his sharp blue eyes. He jumped to his paws, gasping for breath, and Goldenbird rushed forward to help him stand.

"I'm fine," he said, catching his breath, and I realized that all his wounds had been healed. Mud still stuck in his fur, but his eyes shined with new life.

He didn't ask what he had missed. Instead, he turned to Goldenbird and nodded. "Carry on, please. Has Thunderfang gone back to camp?"

Goldenbird shrugged. "Haven't seen him. I'm going to check on Stormblaze."

I led her to where my brother had fallen. He was still lying where I had left him, his breathing ragged. He was bleeding heavily from the wound in his shoulder.

Goldenbird looked down at him in concern. "This is serious. I should treat him back at camp."

I helped her carry him all the way through the forest, back to our camp, my heart pounding the entire way. On the way I looked at the charred and fallen trees. How had the fire lit the forest so quickly?

I asked Goldenbird this as we walked, and she replied, "Lightning. It struck a tree near the camp, but the wind blew it towards the river from there. Still, we couldn't take chances, and we were safest in the water."

"So it really only spread through this part of the forest?"

Goldenbird nodded. "We were lucky. But it's still a fairly large portion of territory we won't be hunting in, and it's getting towards leaf-bare. It might impact us more than we think."

The rest of the walk was passed in silence. When we returned to camp, I could see that Goldenbird was right. Nothing in the camp had been touched by the fire, but you could see through the trees on the opposite side where it must have begun.

We brought Stormblaze to Goldenbird's den. She chewed up some herbs and placed them on his wound, then wrapped it in cobwebs. When she was done, she worked on my scratches and licked my fur clean. They had been deeper than I had though, particularly the ones on my back from Bonetooth.

"That's all I can do. It's up to him now," said Goldenbird. "I've got other cats to treat, Lightingpaw, but it's your choice if you want to stay and watch him or not."

She left the den, but I stayed next to Stormblaze, watching him carefully. His breathing was getting worse, sounding more strained and difficult. I kept willing it to get better, but sleepiness was starting to drag at me. Slowly, I fell asleep, the sound of my brother's breathing echoing in my ear, then slowly fading away.

_"Lightningpaw?" _

_I opened my eyes drearily. _

_"Hm? Goldenbird?" _

_"No, silly," purred a familiar voice. _

_Blinking the sleepiness from my eyes, I finally saw the cat standing in front of me. _

_"Rainstep," I said. I was dreaming. _

_"I'm so proud of you," my mother smiled. "You fought like a true warrior." _

_I ducked my head, smiling a little. In this dream, my scratches weren't aching, and my mother's scent surrounded me. I didn't want to wake up. _

_"Someone else is here to see you," Rainstep said, still smiling. _

_Out of the trees behind her stepped a familiar black tom. Except, the scratch on his shoulder was missing, and he was breathing without trouble. _

_"Stormblaze," I whimpered, because I knew what seeing him here meant. Goldenbird hadn't saved him. _

_If only I'd brought Goldenbird to him first. Jaystar didn't need her treatment. If only I'd brought her to him first. _

I ran off as soon as I woke up. Stormblaze was the only living family I had left, but I still didn't want to be around for the vigil. The crushing grief and silence of the camp had felt suffocating to me, and I was eager to get away from all the bodies of fallen Clanmates lain around camp.

I found myself heading to the river. The sun was just beginning to rise after the longest and darkest night of my life. It warmed me up quickly, like the last sun of greenleaf. The rain had put out the fire and washed away the bloodstains from the battle, and now the sun was drying the rain. StarClan was helping the forest heal.

I stared at the water from the tree line, careful not to cross the RiverClan border. I cleared my mind of Bonetooth and Stormblaze and everything else. I just thought about normal Clan things.

_Hopefully prey won't be too scarce this leaf-bare. I wonder when we'll have some new kits. It'll be good weather for hunting today. _

Around midmorning I realized I wasn't alone. Forestpaw had joined me and was at my side. He hadn't said anything, so I didn't know how long he had been there, but once I realized he was there, I leaned against him.

He rested his chin on my forehead and entwined his tail with mine, and immediately I felt better. We stayed there by the river all day, hunting and talking until the sun set. We fell asleep curled up under an oak tree.

It felt like we were abandoning our Clan, but for the moment, I didn't care. Anything to get away from the grief and sadness of camp.


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

The next day we returned to camp, after the fallen warriors had been taken away and buried. The camp was busy, with cats everywhere. The only noticeable differences were the charred trees in one direction, the handful of cats missing, and the change of deputy. Thunderfang was missing, and Crimsontail, a red-gold she-cat, was in the center of camp assigning patrols instead. I only dwelled on that for a moment before noticing Jaystar.

He had been standing below the Highrock when we came in. He noticed our return, and leapt up onto the rock.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

The cats stopped their bustling about in surprise. They hadn't expected a Clan meeting, and neither had I. I wondered vaguely what it could be about as I gathered with the rest of the Clan beneath the Highrock.

"Last night, as most of you know, we honored the noble warriors of our Clan that were defeated in the battle two nights ago," he said. "Thunderfang, our brave and strong deputy, young Beefuzz and Tigerstep, wise Willowmask, and feirce Stormblaze. In case you were not here last night," he said, glancing over at Forestpaw and I, "Crimsontail has been named our new deputy. In addition, all the cats that betrayed our Clan for Bonestar have been exiled, including Beetlestep and Raccoonmask

Eight. Eight strong warriors we've lost. I felt a pang of greif for my lost Clanmates, even though most of them besides Stormblaze I hadn't known very well. They had lives just like I did, hopes and people they cared about. All gone because of Bonetooth.

"However, the reason I've gathered you here now is to celebrate. Bonestar is gone from the forest, and Eaglestar and Snowtail now lead ShadowClan. I have received word from the other leaders that all of Bonestar's followers were either exiled or ran away. The forest is a much better place without him."

Cheers came from the crowd of cats, and I couldn't help but join in. The optimistic mood the Clan seemed to have taken had rubbed off on me quickly. All of a sudden, the battle seemed far away.

"And to further celebrate…" Jaystar's eyes found Forestpaw and me once again. "We have two new warriors to name."

Cheers and smiles broke out once again as Forestpaw and I made our way to the center of camp. Surprise echoed from both our eyes as we looked at each other.

"StarClan, I call on you to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to master the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Forestpaw," said Jaystar. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," said Forestpaw softly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Forestpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Forestsight. StarClan honors your courage and your spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.

"Lightningpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," I said, strongly and clearly. This is what I had always wanted. What Amberpaw had wanted, and what Lightningpaw wanted.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Lightingpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Lightningstrike. StarClan honors your skill and your determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Lightingstrike! Forestsight!" the Clan cheered, and I glowed with pride. I looked into Forestsight's eyes, and they were shining with pride too. It was such a perfect name for him – his eyes really did look like the forest.

It was the happiest moment of my life. I only wished the stars were visible in the sky so that I could see Stormblaze, Rainstep, and Poppypaw watching over me.

Lightning had lit the forest with flames when I had left. But when I returned, it struck the tree that crushed Bonestar. If that wasn't a sign that I belonged here in the Clans, then I don't know what was.

And looking into Forestsight's eyes, I realized another thing: That I belonged with him too.


	32. Epilogue

_Hey again! I'm gonna put the thanks and stuff at the end, so you might actually read them. Cause I know you're more excited about reading the epilogue, probably. :) _

_Enjoy! _

_-Izrose_

* * *

**Epilogue ****_– several Twoleg years later_**

_I glowed with pride as I watched Crimsonstar standing atop the Highrock, looking down at four nervous kits. I had only realized that Crimsonstar must be Settingstar's daughter after she had taken over as leader after Jaystar. She had the same sunset-red pelt as he, and just a hint of Leopardclaw's spots around her shoulders. Atop the Highrock, she looked stunning. But it wasn't her I felt pride for. _

_It was my kits. _

_Forestsight and I had named them all after the cats we wanted them to be like. I had named the first three, Poppykit, Rainkit, and Stormkit, after Poppypaw, Rainstep, and Stormblaze. Forestsight had chosen Settingkit as the fourth, for the leader that had welcomed both of us to ThunderClan. _

_"From this day on, these apprentices will be known as Poppypaw, Rainpaw, Stormpaw, and Settingpaw. Shimmerstone, you have proven to be a skilled and loyal warrior. You will mentor Stormpaw." _

_The black tomkit, Stormpaw, looked up at the golden she-cat that had just become his mentor. Stormpaw took after me with his black pelt and amber eyes, but he reminded me of Stormblaze. _

_"Lionfang, you are a skilled and brave warrior. You will mentor Rainpaw." _

_Rainpaw, also, took after me in pelt color, but she had Forestsight's bright green eyes. She seemed the least nervous out of all four. _

_"Pebblefoot, you are an intelligent and skilled warrior. You will mentor Poppypaw." _

_Poppypaw took after Forestsight, with grey tabby fur and bright green eyes. She looked the most like him out of them all. _

_"And last but not least, I will mentor Settingpaw," Crimsonstar said, looking down at the little tom. He had green and amber blended in his eyes, but the strangest thing was, he was ginger-and-white, the oddest coloring of them all. Forestsight had concluded that it must have come from my father, who I had never met and didn't know the coloring of. Still, it made the name suit him better, and he was quite a handsome kit. _

_I looked up at Crimsonstar with pride. My kit would be mentored by the leader of ThunderClan. And I knew why she had chosen him to be her apprentice. Settingpaw really did remind her of his namesake, her father. _

_The kits all seemed to be a lot like their namesakes. Settingpaw was the leader of the bunch, Poppypaw was the most energetic. Rainpaw watched over all of them. And Stormpaw was the strongest, but also the quietest, unless he was around his littermates. _

_Someday I'd tell them each the stories behind their names. I'd tell them about Amberpaw, and Bonetooth, and Jaystar. And I'd tell them that each of their namesakes was watching over them in StarClan. _

_My story is over, but theirs is just beginning. _

* * *

_So, first of all, I'd like to thank Dominosrule (spelling?), my very first reviewer EVER who is also a real-life friend that happened to help with Lightningstrike's prophecy. Also, thanks to Nic&Nyx, who gave me a LOT of great advice to improve my writing. And I mean a lot. Like, you wrote a book about my book. But thank you. _

_And of course, thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed, followed, or favorited this story. There are a lot more of you than I expected there to be when I first started this story. I uploaded it thinking that maybe a few people would read and review, and maybe I'd get a couple favorites. I didn't really expect you guys to like it this much, but I'm sure glad you did. _

_I don't think I'll have any new writing PARTICULARLY soon, but I will try to have something up by summer break, which for me begins mid-June. I want to spend more time catching up on reading and try some other, non-fanfiction writing. I've learned a lot about writing in general from this, and I'd like to thank you all one more time for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting, and for reading to the end of this giant thank-you, which I wouldn't have done if I were you, because I'm about to end with one of the cheesiest writer puns ever thought of. _

_Where should a novelist never live? In a one-story house! _


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